Publications : Intellectual Property & Information Technology
04-09-2006 - New Regulations transposing parts of EU Directive 2001/84/EC on the resale rights of authors of original works of art, were signed into Irish Law by Michéal Martin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on 13 June 2006. more...
02-11-2005 - EURid, the organisation selected by the European Commission to operate the .eu top-level domain name, has recently confirmed the staged launch dates for .eu. The launch of the .eu domain name is being viewed as the most significant new domain name since .com. more...
24-10-2005 - The Data Protection Commissioner was successful in the first prosecution taken for an offence under Regulation 13 of the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 2003 (“2003 Regulations”). Regulation 13(10) of the 2003 Regulations entitles the Commissioner to bring summary proceedings for an offence under these Regulations. more...
Authorities Infringement of Copyright? Issues for software developers
04-10-2005 - Following on from the Napster and Grokster decisions in the United States, a recent Australian High Court decision has sounded a further death knell for those who enable sharing of music on the internet free of charge and without the consent of copyright owners. more...
02-04-2004 - The area of data protection has evolved over the last number of years with the introduction of the Irish Data Protection Acts of 1988 and 2003 ("the Acts") and a wealth of EU based legislation granting rights and imposing obligations on individuals and companies. The European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 2003 ("the Regulations") which came into effect on 6th November 2003 is the latest piece of legislation to be introduced in this area. The Regulations have introduced a number of new rules into Irish data protection law of which all persons or companies dealing with personal data must be aware. The purpose of this article is to discuss the implications which the Regulations have in the area of direct marketing. more...
Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003
01-10-2003 - The Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003 ('the 2003 Act') which was enacted on the 10th April 2003 implements the 1995 Data Protection Directive and amends the Data Protection Act 1988 ('the 1988 Act'). The majority of the provisions of the 2003 Act come into force on the 1st of July 2003. The 2003 Act introduces further measures to safeguard personal privacy and to ensure that personal data is not misused. more...
Naming and Owning your Website
01-10-2002 - When establishing a website on the internet there are a number of important factors that should be taken into consideration at the outset in order to ensure that you own the intellectual property associated with your site. more...
01-07-2002 - Copyright owners have recently advertised offering rewards for information which identifies copyright piracy (source - Irish Times). The targets probably are businesses which use computer software without a licence. There are draconian fines and terms of imprisonment for those found guilty of copyright infringement (Copyright Act, 2000). Officers who tolerate infringement are personally liable for the misfeasance of their companies. more...
01-07-2002 - Any persons or corporate bodies who collect and process information which relates to living individuals are subject to data protection legislation. more...
The Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000
01-11-2001 - The adoption of The Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 (the “Act”) has strengthened the position of domestic and international copyright holders in Ireland. The Act makes provision for EU Directives 91/250 (for the protection of computer programs), 92/100 (on rental and lending right and other rights), 93/83 (satellite broadcasting and cable retransmission), 93/98 (harmonisation of the term of protection of copyright) and 96/9 (legal protection of databases and related matters). Furthermore, the sanctions and procedures adopted meet the requirements of the TRIPS section of the GATT Agreements. more...