Our Intellectual Property and Technology Unit provides advice in relation to all aspects of intellectual property and related areas as listed below.

Trade Marks, Copyright, Patents and Industrial Designs

Media and Entertainment Law

Technology

Intellectual Property and the Internet

Database and Software Protection

Technology Contracts

Data Protection

We advise on:

• trade mark selection, adoption, registerability, the processing of trade mark applications and trade mark maintenance and protection
• the exploitation of trade mark rights to include the assignment and licensing of trade marks
• the enforcement, exploitation and protection of copyright
• patents and the assignment and licensing of patents
• patentability of inventions and the filing and processing of patent applications
• the registration and exploitation of industrial designs
• other non-contentious intellectual property matters to include advising both employers and employees on the appropriate provisions in employment contracts and the intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions and banking arrangements
• the contentious aspects of intellectual property including advice and assistance on the protection of confidential information and trade secrets, complex legal actions concerning ownership disputes, actions for passing-off, infringement actions, counterfeiting and actions involving "grey market" goods.

The Department has wide ranging experience in this area and in particular:

• advising on all areas of copyright including protecting and enforcing copyright in a work, whether literary, dramatic or otherwise and whether in hard copy or electronic form
• advising advertisers, publishers and authors on defamation, advertising agreements, publishing agreements, etc.
• advising on contractual arrangements for the production or adaptation of films, television programmes, plays and multimedia productions, including music production and recording contracts
• advising on methods of investing in films
• advising employers / employees and commissioners of works on their entitlement to copyright
• drafting confidentiality agreements

We advise on:

• electronic banking
• formation and conclusion of electronic contracts
• Internet service providers
• liability for content on the Internet
• online services
• project financing
• investment in information technology ventures
• Digital Signatures and Encryption

We advise on:

• copyright and related rights in the information society ·
• trade marks and trade mark infringement over the Internet
• domain name registration and protection
• all aspects of digital media and content protection
• exploitation and protection of intellectual property works on the Internet

We advise on:

• the protection of databases and computer programs under Irish, EU and international law
• the protection of design rights and semi-conductor topographies.

Our clients include start-up and high profile technology companies and we advise regularly on:-

• escrow agreements
• software licensing
• procurement of technology
• acquiring IT systems
• software development

We advise on all aspects of data protection work, including the following:

• Data protections audits
• Exporting personal data outside the EEA
• Collecting personal data
• Processing personal data
• Registration as a data controller and/or data processor
• Privacy statement for websites
• The impact of data protection laws on direct marketing
• The use of personal data
• Collection, retention and processing of personal data
• Data protection in the telecommunications sector
• Data processing agreements (within and outside the EEA)
• Use of the electoral register
• All aspects of Irish, EU and international and data protection legislation