Governance and Legal recognition
The non-profit association under the name "Greek Association of Business for the Management of International GS1 Standards", and with the trade name "GS1 ASSOCIATION-GREECE", was established by Greek businesses that are users of the GS1 system, under the guidance and supervision of the non-profit international organization GS1. GS1 is the central managing body of the GS1 system on a global scale, headquartered in Brussels, and has been operating since 1973.
The lawfulness of the association's establishment and its Articles of Association was recognized by the final Decision No. 7833/2010 of the Single-Member Court of First Instance of Athens.
The association's admission as a member of the international GS1 organization was unanimously approved by the General Assembly of its members. The association was granted the exclusive right to manage GS1 international standards in Greece and to issue GS1 barcode numbers with the prefixes 520 and 521. At the same time, the association was also granted the exclusive license to use the GS1 community trademarks within Greece.
The former member of the international GS1 organization, now operating under the name 520 Barcode Hellas S.A., was formally expelled from the international organization in 2008. As a result, it has irrevocably lost all rights and privileges associated with its former status as a national member organization of GS1, including but not limited to:
-The issuance and management of GS1 barcodes with the prefix 520
-The use of GS1 textual and visual trademarks in any manner or medium
-The provision of information and training regarding the current specifications of the GS1 system and subsequent amendments thereto
-Access to and integration with the global registry of valid GS1 codes, Verified by GS1.
