Besides the protection of the authors, technical progress has created the need to protect performers performing artists, producers of audio and/or video data carriers, as well as the broadcasting organizations. These natural and legal persons make a great contribution to public performance, reproduction, propagation or production of certain copyrighted works. Due to the technical ability to record and the ease of multiplication of the copy works, these contributions need to be protected, so that they are not subjected to appropriation and unfair exploitation by third parties. To this end, new legislative regulations have been instituted, in parallel with copyright, and the category of the so-called “related rights”, i.e. related to copyright, was created. The Greek law recognizes related rights for:
- artists who render or perform (art. 46)
- producers of audio and/or video data carriers (art. 47)
- broadcasting organization (art. 48)
- publishers of printed documents, responsible for typesetting and pagination (linear right - art. 51)
- persons publishing unpublished works by authors who are no longer alive (art. 51A)
- databases manufacturers
The law contains an indicative enumeration of the performers performing artists, which includes actors, musicians, singers, chorus singers, dancers, puppet show artists, shadow theatre artists, variety theatre or circus performers.
For each of the categories of related rightholders, the law recognizes rights of different content. (articles 46-53)
The protection of related rights leaves intact and in no way affects the integrity of copyright protection. None of the provisions “on related rights” can be construed in any way that infringes this protection.
