Some innovations are best protected by a patent. Other innovations are best protected by keeping them as a trade secret, know-how, or confidential information. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. Some of the factors that might influence the choice one way or the other are:

Many factors will influence your decision to apply for a patent. Some of the factors that might be relevant in your specific circumstances include:

In Greece you can choose to protect your product, process or invention by a National patent or a European patent by making an application to OBI. The main issues to consider are:

There is no such thing as a 'worldwide' patent. A patent is granted by a government of a country. The Greek Government, for example, does not have power to grant a patent that would apply in the United States. Nor does the United States Government have the power to grant a patent that would apply in Greece.
‍Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
‍Sometimes the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is thought of as conferring a 'worldwide' patent. The PCT, however, deals only with the application process.
Before the PCT, it was necessary to file separately in each country where the patent was sought. This was expensive to do, and forced applicants to decide - sometimes prematurely -in which countries they should seek patents.
The objectives of the PCT were to address these 2 problems by:
    1.deeming a PCT application in one treaty member country to be filed in all treaty member countries at the same time
   2.allowing an applicant a period of up to 21 or 31 months from the earliest priority date to decide in which countries to proceed to apply for a patent (called 'national phase').
Applying for a patent in other countries
‍There are 2 ways of applying for a patent in other countries:
    1. You may file a separate complete application in each country in which you decide to pursue the grant of a patent.
    2. You may file a PCT application, and in due course nominate those countries in which you want to proceed to national phase.
It is not mandatory to file a PCT application. You can file the application online at OBI website or download a paper application from that site. You can also engage INNOTOMIA to file the application for you.
You might consider filing a complete application in each relevant country, and forgo the PCT application step, for example, where:
    1.you decide to pursue patents in a small number of countries only
   2.some of the countries where you want to pursue a patent are not members of the PCT (some South American, Central American, African, and Middle Eastern countries).
‍Patent application process in other countries
‍In practice, you would consider applying for a patent in those countries where you anticipate:
1. selling the products or services protected by the patent
2. exporting the products or services protected by the patent
3. licensing the products or services protected by the patent.
The patent application process in other countries is much the same as in Greece: the application is examined to ensure that the requirements for a patent are met, third parties may oppose or object to the grant of a patent, and when the application is successful, the patent is granted.
‍Costs
‍Additional costs may be incurred for:
    1. fees charged by the individual national patent
   2. offices the fee for retaining a patent attorney /lawyer in the individual jurisdictions
   3. a certified translation of the patent specification required in some non-English speaking countries.

The maximum duration of your patent will be 20 years from the application filing date .After your patent is first granted, it will be subject to payment of annual renewal fees .
Your rights as a patentholder include the right:
    1. to obtain a court order to stop a competitor unlawfully using     (infringing) your patent (this kind of order is called an injunction)
    2. to grant a licence to another person (e.g. in other industries, or in other countries) to exploit your patent commercially, in return for licence fees, royalties, or other payments
     3. to sell your patent to gift your patent in your will
    4 to mark your product and its packaging as being patented(someone who does so without having a patent commits an offence).
If you have applied for a patent, and the application is pending, you are also entitled to mark your product, and its packaging, to indicate that a patent is pending (e.g. 'patent pending'). Again, someone who does so without having a patent commits an offence.