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Cyprus Real Estate: Apartment Sales and Robust Local Demand Sustain Market Resilience

Record Transaction Value Amid Global Uncertainty

In an impressive demonstration of stability, Cyprus’ real estate market reached a historic transaction value of €5.71 billion in 2024—a modest 1% increase over the previous year. This record was achieved despite a 3% decline in the number of transactions, underscoring the market’s resilience in the face of persistent global economic challenges.

Dominance of Residential and Commercial Sectors

Residential real estate remained the engine driving the market, with a staggering €3.8 billion in transactions (67% of total value). Meanwhile, the commercial sector experienced a notable uplift in value, compensating for declines in other categories. Limassol, emerging as the clear frontrunner with 44% of total transaction value, continues to be the epicenter of both luxury and mainstream developments.

Shifting Dynamics in Foreign Investment

The report from PwC reveals a 10% overall decline in foreign buyer demand in 2024. However, districts such as Nicosia, Famagusta, and Larnaca bucked this trend, registering growing international interest. Even though areas like Paphos and Limassol saw reduced foreign transactions, they still together accounted for more than 60% of property sales to non-nationals.

Luxury Market and Development Trends

The luxury segment, representing 9% of the total transaction value, recorded 188 transactions of high-end properties valued above €1.5 million, totaling €500 million. Limassol led luxury transactions with 74% of expenditure followed by Paphos. Additionally, while the number of building permits dropped by 2%, the value of these permits increased by 2%, reflecting a strategic pivot towards higher-quality, high-value developments in commercial and non-residential projects.

Outlook for 2025: A Promising Start

Recent data from the Cyprus Real Estate Agents Registration Council signals a positive market trajectory for 2025. With a 15% increase in sale contracts during the first quarter, and transaction values exceeding €1.1 billion, market prospects remain buoyant. Limassol continues to dominate in both sale contracts and transaction values, while Nicosia, Paphos, and Larnaca show sustained and emerging strengths respectively.

Apartment Sales: The Fuel for Continued Growth

Data from Landbank Real Estate Analytics highlights a significant shift in buyer preferences. Apertment sales surged by 22.7% in volume and 9% in value to €1.5 billion, in stark contrast to a decline in new house sales. This trend underscores local buyers’ prioritization of affordability and accessibility. Moreover, with Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos each recording dynamic shifts in their housing segments, strategic investments are adjusting to meet the evolving market demands.

Conclusion

Despite a fluctuating global economic environment, Cyprus’ real estate market has demonstrated robust resilience through strategic emphasis on residential, commercial, and luxury sectors. The sustained demand for apartments and the emerging shift in foreign investor interest toward more accessible regions present a balanced yet dynamic outlook for 2025, positioning the market for continued strength and adaptive growth.

Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.

Uol
The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties
eCredo
Aretilaw firm

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