To date, Ireland has no service mark legislation. Trademark protection under Irish law centers on registration. Registration of a distinctive mark gives the registered user the right to exclusive use of the marks on the specified goods in Ireland. It also gives rise to the right to prevent infringement resulting from the use by a competitor of a confusingly similar mark or the unauthorized use of the trademark on the specified goods. In addition, trademarks of non-nationals may be registered with equal rights to those given to Irish nationals.
Registered trademarks are capable of indefinite renewal on payment of renewal fees.
The 1963 Act provides for an initial period of 7 years renewable for 14 year periods. A trademark may be licensed, provided that the registered proprietor exercises sufficient control over the use of the mark. Ireland is also a party to the major trademarks conventions. In Ireland, registration is not a condition of copyright protection, or a prerequisite to successful litigation. The proposed EC directive on copyright of computer programs, once adopted, will require amendments to be made to the Irish Copyright law to specifically recognize computer programs as literary works capable of copyright protection.