Cyprus - Andreas Neocleous & Co

CYPRUS
CYP/35
Duration of Registration and Protection
Once registered, a trade name remains on the Register until the trader files an
application for removal. Section 57 of the Partnerships and Trade Names Law,
Cap 116, provides that where a firm, individual or corporation has registered a
trade name and ceases to carry on business, the Registrar must be informed
within one month after the business has ceased to operate. The Registrar will
then remove the trade name from the Register.
Assignment
Generally, the rights in a trade name pass with the goodwill of business as a
whole and cannot be assigned.
Copyright
Copyrights in Cyprus are regulated by the Right of Intellectual Property Law
59/76 ("the Right of Intellectual Property Law"), as amended by Laws Number
63/77, Number 18/93, Number 54(I)/99, Number 12(I)/2001, Number
128(I)/2002, Number 128(I)/2004, Number 123(I)/2006, and Number
181(I)/2007. Rights are recognized under the Right of Intellectual Property Law
for every protected object whose beneficiary, or, if there is more than one
beneficiary, any one of them, is, at the time of the creation of the right, or, if it is
a broadcast, the time of the transmission of the broadcast, a qualifying person,
namely:
• A person who is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus or who habitually resides
there;
• A legal person, established in accordance with the laws of the Republic; or
• A citizen of another member state of the European Union.
Registration
There is no system of copyright registration in Cyprus. Copyright is conferred
on works once created, as of right. Copyright law protects Cyprus nationals for
their works which are published anywhere in the world, and foreign nationals
for their works published in Cyprus.
Protection
The Right of Intellectual Property Law provides remedies for copyright
infringement including damages, destruction, or delivery of infringing copies
and the equipment by which copies are produced, an account of profits and an
injunction.
In addition, the court may order the offender to destroy any copies of the work
in his possession or to deliver them to the copyright owner. It also establishes a
number of criminal offenses, punishable by fines or imprisonment for up to
three years.
(Release 2 – 2013)