
The
Irish legislation protects the
creations of the mind, which can take the form of
inventions or material such as plays, books, articles and so on, through a set or rules of law. Moreover,
Ireland is a member-state of the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an international body established for the
protection of various types of intellectual property. At the same time, the institution provides an international regulatory framework and can intervene in conflicts which can arise in the field.
Our team of Irish company formation representatives can offer assistance on the legislation referring to the
copyrights and patents in Ireland.
Copyright in Ireland
Copyrights in Ireland are protected by the Copyright and Related Rights Act, applicable on the national territory of the country starting with 1st of January 2001. One of the main objectives established by the Irish authorities refers to the alignment of the local copyrights laws with the European Union’s directives, as well as those of the WIPO or the Berne Convention.
A copyright in Ireland can refer to the following types of representations:
• literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works;
• films and recordings;
• broadcasts and programmes offered by televisions;
• computer programmes;
• databases.
The local legislation protects the creators of such works, which have full rights on their creations, but it is important to know that such rights can also be transferred.
Foreign investors who want to
open a company in Ireland should know that in the situation in which one of the employees creates a work which can be protected by the
copyright legislation, the
owner of the copyright will be the
employer. However, the
ownership can also belong to the
employee, as long as the two parties establish an agreement in this sense.
Our team of Irish company formation agents can offer more details on this matter.
Patents in Ireland
A patent in Ireland is one of the legal rights of the creator of an invention. Patents are obtained for a determined period of time for various types of inventions, regardless of their field or destination.
It is important to know that patents issued in Ireland are applicable only on the national territory of the state.
A patent is issued for a period of 10 years (applicable for smaller inventions that are not very complex) or 20 years (applicable for inventions are considered novelties).