Preliminary injunctions are heard before the Single-Member Civil Court of First Instance and main infringement actions are heard before the Full-Member Civil Court of First Instance. Greece has two specialised EU trademark and patent courts based in Athens and Thessaloniki, respectively. Forum selection is important to ensure that court proceedings take place before a court with sufficient expertise in patent law. Certain rights that are considered patent rights in other jurisdictions are exempt from protection under Greek patent law (eg, software and business methods). Unitary patents and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) became a reality as of 1 June 2023, bringing a significant change to the patent environment as we know it.