Public dispute and legal developments between Anna Vissi and Nikos Karvelas

A significant public conflict has emerged between singer Anna Vissi and composer Nikos Karvelas following Vissi’s recent concert at OAKA. The dispute centers on financial disagreements regarding royalties and compensation, as well as the composer’s control over his extensive musical catalog, which includes over 400 songs associated with Vissi. While initial reports claimed that Karvelas had filed for an injunction to ban Vissi from performing his works, his legal representative, Archontoula Papapanagiotou, explicitly denied these claims.

Legal expert Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, representing Vissi, stated that all attempts at an out-of-court settlement have ceased and that the matter will likely proceed to court. He argued that Karvelas cannot legally prohibit Vissi from performing his songs because the economic rights to the works have been transferred to a collective management organization. However, the legal situation has shifted following Karvelas's decision to withdraw the mandate he had previously granted to the collective management organization 'Autodihirisi' for the public performance rights of his works, citing Article 12, paragraph 2 of Law 4481/2017. This withdrawal means Vissi may now require direct permission from Karvelas to perform his compositions, marking a new phase in their professional estrangement.