Intellectual Property Unit Guidelines and Procedures

Guidelines and Procedures

Authorisation to Register a State Emblem as a Trade Mark; Dealing with Misuse of Trade Marks Indicative of Irish Origin

Any person who wishes to obtain registration of a trade mark containing a State emblem (harp, shamrock) or to use a State emblem in connection with any business must first obtain consent from the Minister. The Minister is also empowered to take lawful steps against any person outside the State in the event of misuse of trade marks that would falsely indicate that the goods on which the trade mark is used were of Irish origin.

Files/ Classes of Records

The following are the series held:

Copyright
Designs
Intellectual Property
Patents
Section Administration
Serving Political System
Trade Marks
Patents Office Matters

Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act, 1997

Section 16 of the FOI Act requires the Department to publish

'The rules, procedures, practices, guidelines and interpretations and an index of any precedents kept for the purposes of decisions under any enactment or scheme administered by the Department with respect to rights, privileges, benefits, obligations, penalties or other sanctions to which members of the public are or may be entitled or subject under the enactment or scheme together with appropriate information in relation to the manner or intended manner of administration of any such enactment or scheme.'

Last modified: 21/09/2011

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