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What is the difference between an Irish and an EU trademark? If I don't have EU clients outside of Ireland, is it needed?

Written by Jan Buza

Co-founder of Trama

An Irish trademark is registered with the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland (IPOI) and covers only Ireland. An EU trademark is registered with the EUIPO and covers all 27 EU member states, including Ireland.

If your business currently operates only in Ireland and has no plans to expand into other EU markets, an Irish trademark is the more cost-efficient choice. It covers the territory you actually need at a lower cost than an EU trademark.

If expansion into other EU markets is a realistic future possibility, an EU trademark makes more sense; it covers those markets in advance and requires only one renewal rather than multiple national ones.

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