Updated: May 21, 2025
The Intellectual Property Law of Cyprus is a complex legal framework rooted in common law and specific statutes, including the Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Laws. It protects creations, inventions, their owners, and authors from transgression and is harmonised with EU and international regulations.
George K. Konstantinou Law Firm provides legal support for intellectual property matters in Cyprus for domestic and international companies. We assist with registering and renewing trademarks, patents, and industrial designs. Our lawyers also offer advice on copyright protection, handle infringement issues, and can help structure agreements for the commercial use or sale of IP rights, including guidance on the Cyprus IP Box regime.
Below, our legal team explains intellectual property, the various types of intellectual property, its definition under Cypriot law, and the rules that govern intellectual property rights.
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the human mind, such as inventions, designs, marks, or works of art. Legal protection gives owners exclusive rights to use their creations, helps guard against unauthorised use, and can be a valuable asset for business profit and development.
In 2025, Cyprus continues to offer significant tax incentives for intellectual property through its IP Box Regime. This system allows an 80% tax exemption on qualifying profits from eligible IP assets, such as patents and copyrighted software. Consequently, businesses can achieve an effective corporate tax rate as low as 2.5% on such income, aligning with EU and OECD standards.
According to the laws of Cyprus, there are four types of intellectual property: patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and copyrights.
The differences between the types of intellectual property are clearly shown in the table:
| Attributes | Patent | Trademark | Industrial design | Copyright |
| Maximum protection period | 20 years Medicines or plant protection products: the period can be extended up to 25 years. Medicines for children: the period can be extended up to 25 years and 6 months | Unlimited | 25 years | Varies depending on the nature of the work, up to 70 years from the death of the author |
| Registration fee | €230 for a national patent. €100 is needed to confirm the European patent in the Republic of Cyprus. The cost of international patent registration changes from year to year | €150 per class (including the cost of issuing a certificate) | €85.43 | Automatic protection, no registration fee |
| Renewal period | Annually, starting from the 3rd year | Every 10 years | Every 5 years | Automatic protection without renewal |
| What can be protected | Innovative inventions, new processes, a new way of working with a product | A logo or a name that distinguishes a product, service, business, or trademark | The appearance of a product or a part of it | A book, article, script, song, choreography, architecture, software, database, painting, photograph, or other work of art |
| Who is asking for protection | Inventors | Entrepreneurs, service providers, and product owners | Designers, product owners | Writers, artists, architects, and other performing artists |
| Benefits of Protection | Patenting provides exclusive rights to use the invention for the entire duration of the certificate. | Obtaining a trademark registration certificate enhances the ability to protect against transgression and commercial and economic use of the trademark. | Registration of an industrial design provides exclusive rights to use it during the entire registration period. | Automatic protection against violations when using the copyright |
In Cyprus, Intellectual property protection is provided by common law. The legislation is quite complex and contains the following legal framework:
Since Cyprus is a part of the European Union and is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the country is also subject to international regulations:
Copyright is protected by the Intellectual Property Law 59/76 of Cyprus, which has been amended by Laws Number 63/77 and Number 18/93 over the years. Copyright protection extends to residents, legal entities, offshore companies registered in Cyprus, and foreigners residing there.
According to the international conventions on intellectual property signed by Cyprus, foreign innovations are also recognised on the island. Copyright is protected throughout the author’s life and 50 years after his or her death. However, specific intellectual works may be protected for a shorter period.
Patents are subject to the Patent Law of Cyprus, which was last amended in April 1998. The law established an independent body where patents could be registered - the Patents Register of Cyprus. Its responsibilities include recording and publishing all patents in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus.
Cypriot patents are renewed annually and protected for 20 years as long as renewal fees are paid. According to the latest amendments, patents in Cyprus can be compulsorily licensed.
Trademarks are subject to the Trademark Law. Cypriot trademarks can only be registered if they are authentic. Trademarks must be registered in the Trademark Registry. However, only a Cypriot lawyer can apply for registration. Trademarks are protected for 10 years after registration and every 14 years after that.
Read more about trademark registration in Cyprus.
In 2012, Cyprus introduced an intellectual property system to create a competitive environment in the research and development industry. Lower taxes are a key element of the amendments. According to the Income Tax Law, the new 2% tax rate makes Cyprus one of the most attractive jurisdictions for intellectual property income. The new law exempts dividends that a Cypriot company distributes to foreign shareholders from taxation and dividends from intellectual property rights.
George K. Konstantinou Law Firm provides skilled support for your IP assets. We offer legal services in the following areas:
What are the four main types of intellectual property?
The four basic types of intellectual property are copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. Industrial designs are also a type of intellectual property. Copyrights are the protection and rights granted to original works of authorship, such as novels, poems, music, sculptures, engravings, and other forms of intellectual work. Patents are property rights granted to original inventions, covering physical inventions, software, and pharmaceuticals.
A trademark is a recognisable and distinct symbol, phrase, or other representation, like the Coca-Cola logo or the Nike swoosh. Trade secrets are a company’s practices or processes that are not public information, like the Coca-Cola recipe. Industrial designs or models refer to new and unique features of a product, such as materials, textures, and shapes, protecting the appearance of a product or part of it.
What is intellectual property?
Intellectual property (IP) encompasses the rights given to creations of the mind, from literary works and art to logos, software, and pharmaceuticals. It is protected by law and enables people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create, as WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organisation) noted.
How do you protect your intellectual property in Cyprus?
Protecting your intellectual property in Cyprus depends on the type of property. Copyrights exist automatically and do not need to be registered. Patents, trademarks, and industrial designs must be registered and renewed at the Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property.
Trade secrets are protected by legislation, specifically the Law on the protection of undisclosed “know-how” and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use, and disclosure of 2020 (164(I)/ 2020). Protection measures include NDAs and internal policies.
What are intellectual property rights?
Intellectual property rights are the rights attached to original works and creations of the mind. They protect and distinguish such creations. They are commonly grouped as copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and industrial designs.
What are the intellectual property laws in Cyprus?
Cyprus has harmonised legislation with the EU acquis and is also a signatory to international intellectual property conventions like the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
The IP regime in Cyprus is fully compliant with EU standards. The legislative IP framework in Cyprus includes the Patent Law 16/98, the Trademarks Law cap. 268 as amended, and the General and Limited Partnership and Business Names Law cap. 116.
What are Cyprus' intellectual property tax regulations?
The Cyprus IP Box Regime provides a maximum tax rate of 2.5% on income earned from IP assets. For details and a comparison with other jurisdictions and ineligible assets, see https://ipbox.cy/.
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