IRELAND

Trademark Act of 1996 (effective July 1, 1996) and TradeMarks (Amendment) Rules 2010 serve as the legal foundation for trademark registration in Ireland. Registration is required to acquire trademark protection. It can also be obtained by receiving enough public acknowledgement. Similar to the United Kingdom, “common law” concepts are applicable.

Requirements

It is necessary to submit an application for a trademark to the Trademark Office. All you need is an Irish postal address. No power of attorney is required. Applications from abroad require a domestic registration.

Procedure

There is no search for previous trademarks throughout the application procedure; instead, there is a formal examination and an examination of distinctiveness. The entire process, from initial filing to registration, takes around a year. The trademark application is published in the twice-weekly “Official Journal” prior to registration. Three months plus one day after the trademark application is published is the opposition period.

Duration

In Ireland, a trademark registration is effective from the registration date for a period of ten years. Ten-year renewal periods are available for the registration.