Legal dispute between Anna Vissi and Nikos Karvelas over performance rights

A public conflict has erupted between singer Anna Vissi and composer Nikos Karvelas following Vissi’s recent concert at the OAKA stadium. The disagreement centers on financial disputes regarding royalties and professional remuneration beyond standard collective management fees. Karvelas recently issued a lengthy six-page statement criticizing the singer and the production company, while Vissi’s legal representative, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, has stated that negotiations for an out-of-court settlement have failed, moving the matter toward litigation.

Contradictory reports exist regarding the status of formal legal actions. While some media outlets reported that Karvelas filed for an injunction to prevent Vissi from performing his catalog of over 400 songs, Karvelas’s lawyer, Archontoula Papapanagiotou, explicitly denied that such injunctions have been filed. Dimitrakopoulos argues that, legally, a composer cannot unilaterally revoke performance rights once they have been transferred to a management organization, and challenged the possibility of a moral rights claim.

Both parties remain in a state of open confrontation. With the breakdown of private discussions, the case appears set for a court resolution to determine the boundaries of intellectual property rights and contractual obligations between the long-time artistic partners.