Greece has implemented the Use for the benefit of people with a disability (Art. 5.3(b) InfoSoc) exception in Article 28A of Law 2121/1993, Intellectual Property, Related Rights and Cultural Issues (updated up to the Law 4672/2020).. The national exception is much more restrictive than the EU exception.

Implementation summary:

This exception allows for uses of certain types of works for the benefit of persons who are print disabled and persons with other disabilities (visual impaired or with a reading disability). In 2020 the former transposition of art. 5.2.(c) of the InfoSoc Directive was replaced in its entirety by a provision implementing the Marakesh Directive.

Implementation details:

Beneficiaries:

  • disabiled persons (meaning a) blind; b) with visual impairment which cannot be improved; c) with a perceptual or reading disability; d) unable, due to a physical disability, to hold or manipulate a book or to focus or move their eyes to the extent that would be normally acceptable for reading)
  • authorised entities

Purposes:

  • make a copy of a work in a format, accessible for beneficiaries
  • exclusive use by beneficiaries

Usage:

  • make an accessible copy
  • communicate, make available, distribute or lend this copy to a beneficiary

Subject Matter:

  • work (meaning a work in the form of a book, magazine, scientific or other, newspaper or other kind of writing, notation, including sheet music, and related illustrations, in any media, including in digital format and in audio form, such as audiobooks, which is protected by copyright and which is published or otherwise lawfully made publicly available)

Compensation:

  • may be due for certains acts of use

Attribution:

  • no attribution required

Introduced/last updated: 04 March 2020

Remarks: The provision of art. 5.3.(2) of the InfoSoc Directive was the sole optional exception transposed in Greece in implementation of the Directive - under art. 28A of the national copyright law in 2002. In 2020 (by Law 4672/2020) the exception was replaced in its entirety by a provision implementing the Marakesh Directive and named 'Permitted uses for the benefit of persons who are print disabled and persons with other disabilities'