Ireland's leading legal adviser in developing intellectual strategies that exploit, enforce and protect clients' intellectual property rights
Overview
McCann FitzGerald’s intellectual property lawyers work closely with leading domestic and multinational clients to enforce, protect and exploit their intellectual property rights. The team’s industry sector expertise includes a strong focus on pharmaceutical, life sciences, telecoms, IT, consumer goods and retail.
Clients depend on the experience of McCann FitzGerald's lawyers in major patent and trade mark litigation cases where we have acted in over 90% of the patent disputes which have gone to trial in this jurisdiction in the last ten years as well as most of the high-profile trade mark infringement actions in the Irish courts.
On the non-contentious side, we have advised clients on the management of the whole range of their IP rights including naming rights, sponsorship agreements, protection of domain names, trade secrets and confidential know-how. We have also advised on intellectual property issues arising out of joint ventures, technology transfer and other commercial arrangements as well as assisting with a range of pharmaceutical regulatory inquiries from advertising to dealings with regulatory authorities.
We have advised on IP issues arising out of information technology and online transactions generally, including software licensing and development in all its aspects, outsourcing and business transformation. We have also acted on the IP aspects of many of the largest and most innovative IT procurement and outsourcing contracts of recent times.
Expertise
The expertise of our Intellectual Property Group, which deals with both contentious and non-contentious work, includes:
- Advising on copyright issues arising in a broad range of sectors from literary estates to financial institutions
- Acting in over 90% of the patent disputes which have gone to trial in this jurisdiction in the last ten years
- Guiding clients on all aspects of trade mark and brand protection and acting in most of the high profile trade mark infringement actions in recent years in the Irish courts
- Helping clients to address the implications of the new improved regime for industrial design protection
- Assisting clients on issues arising from parallel imports in various industries including the drinks trade, motor companies and pharmaceuticals
- Working with clients on dealing with the problem of counterfeit goods including liaising with customs to control entry
- Dealing with legal aspects, both contentious and non-contentious, of sponsorship and naming rights matters
- Securing protection of domain names including preparing WIPO complaints
- Drafting documents for the protection of confidential information and commercial secrets and advising in disputes involving disclosure and/or use of trade secrets and confidential know-how
- Advising on intellectual property issues arising out of joint ventures, technology transfer and other commercial arrangements
- Dealing with issues arising out of computer contracts including sale of hardware and software licensing
- Advising on issues arising out of the internet, information technology and e-commerce generally
- Assisting with a range of pharmaceutical regulatory inquiries from advertising to issues concerning regulatory authorities
Directory Comments
McCann FitzGerald has long been a go-to firm for IP services in Ireland. "We get the highest standard of advice from the firm," say clients. Chambers, 2010
"This firm has long been at the forefront of IP law in Ireland –you get the sense that the firm expects and demands incredibly high standards from its people – it has strength right down its ranks." Chambers, 2010
Winner of the Ireland - IP firm of the Year Award from Managing Intellectual Property. Managing Intellectual Property, 2009