Avramopoulos
back to list

Our Expertise

Entertainment

Media

Avramopoulos & Partners has vast experience in media legal issues and litigation, as well as content-related disputes regarding  newspapers, broadcasters, magazines, film & TV production companies and advertising agencies. With experience in a wide range of services and sectors-such as corporate, technology and finance- we are able to provide the level of knowledge and the standard of service that any major corporate client expects.

Our team assists businesses and individuals in dealing with adverse press attention, preventing publication of material in breach of copyright and confidence, and bringing libel and privacy claims. Importantly, businesses whose reputation may be at risk or under attack can benefit from our expertise in all aspects of corporate reputation management.

The expansion of the internet has given rise to new threats to the reputation of businesses and individuals, such as the worldwide publication of media coverage, bloggers, and anonymous postings on chat rooms or websites set up by aggrieved third parties. In close cooperation with local authorities, Avramopoulos & Partners combines legal expertise with technological know-how in order to best identify and take action against such threats.

Entertainment

The Firm has expertise in all forms of entertainment and related litigation. The Entertainment and Media group works closely with the Firm's Telecommunications group and Intellectual Property group to provide expert legal opinions on the flourishing areas of: 

  • Emerging technologies
  • New media and the convergence of entertainment
  • Telecommunications  
  • Internet

Our Law Firm has represented major international studios, on demand audiovisual media services provider, television networks, film financiers, and foreign and domestic production and distribution companies in the full array of filmed entertainment matters. Specifically, over the past 15 years, Avramopoulos & Partners Law Firm has provided legal counseling on intellectual property, employment, and entertainment law to a number of domestic and international film production companies for the production of various movies, filmed either entirely or partially on Greek locations.

Inter alia, the Firm has been involved in the drafting and preparation of location agreements, crew and actors’ agreements, issuance of all necessary permits and licenses (e.g., location licenses from the local and state authorities, filming licenses, work and residence permits for the European and non-European crew and actors, etc.). Finally, we have also provided on-the-spot legal assistance throughout the duration of filming.
 

Examples

  • Legal advice to a U.S. multinational mass media and entertainment Group with regards to the launching of its pay TV Platform in Greece. Our advice focused on the implementation of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMS) in Greece and the related contribution obligations which apply locally for on-demand audio visual service provider established in another EU member state.
  • Provision of legal services to an Australian film production company, regarding the pre-production and production of an audiovisual work in Greece, including advice on the Greek cash rebate programs, the Actors Agreements, the production services agreements, etc.
  • Provision of legal advice to Greek publishing houses and the Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works (“OSDEL”) with regards to the illegal photocopying of books across Greece, including drafting of relevant documentation, announcements etc. addressed to all authorities involved.
  • Provision of legal advice to a promising Greek music artist regarding the exploitation of her rights as composer and songwriter on a national and international level.
  • Provision of legal advice to a leading Greek music house regarding the originality of a software program on the management of music schools.
  • Provision of legal advice to a multinational client-leader in the entertainment field for entering the Greek Market. Establishment of the local entity and provision of legal advice on all related issues.
  • In the past, a member of the Firm was appointed, to the Ministerial Committee of imminent film industry practitioners established by Minister for Culture, and chaired by the Greek – French filmmaker Costa Gavra, to review the current Greek cinema legislative framework.
  • Subsequently, upon submission of the aforementioned committee’s recommendations, the same member of our Firm was appointed to the legislative committee chaired by Legal Counsel of the State, to draft the new cinema law based on the recommendations of the Gavra Committee and industry bodies.
  • During the years of 2005 and 2006, the Firm prepared and submitted to the Greek Government (Ministries of Finance, State, Culture and Tourism) a report entitled “Scoping the Establishment of a Greek Film Commission Office: A Comparative Study of the Operation of International Film Commissions and their Role in Attracting Foreign Productions & an Examination of the Current Greek Context and Recommendations for the Establishment of the Greek Film Commission Office.” The findings of the Report fuelled industry debate and led to the development of responsive strategies and policies in this sector.
  • The Firm has represented Greece’s award-winning Film Director, Pantelis Voulgaris.
  • The Firm also successfully negotiated and concluded a number of “A” list international artists live performance Agreements, one of the artists being Jennifer Lopez.
  • During the years of 2000 and 2001 our Firm provided legal counseling to the film production companies ‘Working Title Films Ltd’ and ‘Universal Studios’ for the production of the 50 million US Dollar movie “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,” shot entirely on the island of Cephallonia, Greece. We provided our legal services on all issues that arose through the completion of the production, especially in relation with tax and contract law, intellectual property, employment and entertainment law. The Firm was also involved in the drafting and preparation of the location agreements, the crew and actors’ agreements, the issuance of all the necessary permits and licenses (e.g., location licenses from the local and state authorities, filming licenses, work and residence permits for the European and non-European crew and actors, etc.). Finally, we provided daily on-the-spot legal assistance on all issues and problems that arose on a daily basis throughout the duration of the filming.