IP Disputes

At Lavelle Partners, we understand that protection of your intellectual property (IP) is essential to the success and competitiveness of your business.  Ireland is an especially attractive place to do business due to its tax incentives for firms seeking to leverage their valuable IP; a key factor in Ireland’s Foreign Direct Investment strategy.  It is for this reason that Ireland has some of the most stringent IP protection legislation in the world.

The Government are currently overhauling Irish trademark law in line with new EU trademark legislation, with the aim of lowering costs for IP protection and providing greater certainty for businesses; this represents the first major reform in trademark law in Ireland for over 20 years.  As part of these changes, four new statutory instruments to transpose EU trademark law were brought into force in January 2019 in Ireland, including:

• SI No 561 of 2018 European Union (Trade Marks) Regulations 2018
• SI No 562 of 2018 Trade Marks (Amendment) Rules 2018
• SI No 563 of 2018 European Union (Trade Marks Act,1996) (Community Trade Mark) (Amendment) Regulations 2018
• SI No 564 of 2018 European Union (Trade Marks Act,1996) (Community Trade Mark) (Amendment) Regulations 2018

The changes make trade mark registration systems across the EU more uniform and accessible.  As such, within the EU, trademarks can be registered at the national level, or at the EU level with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

Our specialist IP dispute services

• Copyright breaches
• Domain name litigation
• Employee injunctions
• Information technology IP theft
• Patent litigation
• Passing off
• Misuse of confidential information & trade secrets
• Non-disclosure agreement breaches
• Trademark litigation

Why choose Lavelle Partners to assist you with IP disputes?

• As a full-service law firm, our IP dispute Solicitors can tap into the combined knowledge of our specialist law practitioners in the areas of contract law, intellectual property, and corporate and commercial law to assist with your matter.  This means the advice and representation we offer has been considered from all possible legal angles, and, therefore, has the best chance of a positive outcome.
• Our team have successfully handled many disputes relating to IP across a range of industry sectors, including IT, manufacturing, food and beverage, finance, agriculture, and defence, often representing large corporations or multinational firms.
• We are a partner-led firm, meaning the partner you meet will manage your case and be available to you if you have any questions.
• Our Solicitors are approachable, intelligent, and pragmatic.  When it comes to handling IP disputes, we will assess your situation objectively and provide a clear strategy to move your matter forward.

For further information regarding IP disputes in Ireland, please contact Lavelle Partners in confidence on (01) 644 5800.