15 - Copyright Protection of Street Art and Graffiti in Greece: Intellectual Property and Personal Property in Conflict?

Summary

On 11 November 2014, the Guardian paid tribute to the Greek street art that has spurred in light of hardships and unemployment owing to the Greek economic crisis, referring to Athens as ‘a new Mecca for street artists’. Hosting images of graffiti featuring on walls of the Greek capital, the Guardian remarked that street murals are complex and they vary in style, expressing political insights, drawing inspiration from financial constraints or offering feelings of hope and aspiration. Greece, and mostly Athens, is in the middle of a graffiti epidemic. Was it art or was it vandalism? What made the NTUA graffiti particularly controversial goes beyond this dilemma, due to the historical and political status of the building.