IT Law in Ireland

Most companies in Ireland have internet based operations; many foreign and local entrepreneurs choose to present their business in the on-line environment or to conduct commercial activity through an on-line platform.  Regardless of the activity in which your business is conducted, it is recommended to know the provisions of the internet technology (IT) legislation; our Irish lawyers can provide you with a detailed presentation on the IT laws any website operator should respect. 

 

 

The Internet service providers (ISP) in Ireland represent the main joint regulatory body which supervises the activity of Internet content. ISPs operate under a self-regulatory framework which follows the rules and regulations of the Industry Code of Practice and Ethics provided by the Irish government. The agreement allowing a self- regulatory basis for the ISPs was signed between the Irish government and the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland (ISPAI), which committed to respecting the rules imposed by the government, as stated in the Code of Practice and Ethics. 

 

According to the Code, the ISPs are not allowed to give ISP services to customers whose websites may contain material which is vulgar, offensive, obscene or unlawful. Such content is illegal under the Irish legislation. 

 

The services provided by the ISP operate under the ISPAI legislation; according to this, customers of ISP are forbidden to promote a website which creates, hosts or transmits illegal material, as defined above. Illegal material discovered on the on-line content will be removed by ISPs. 
 

An important aspect is that the Board of ISPAI is allowed to change or add legal provisions related to the use of Internet. 

 

 

When opening a company in Ireland which owns a website, or when you access the Internet through various devices (laptops, mobile phones), you should know that your data is protected by a set of laws. 

 

The Irish legislation related to data protection is the Data Protection Act 1998, which was amended in 2003. The 2003 Act included in the previous legislation the European Union’s Directive on data protection. Our Irish law firm can give you more details on the data protection law.

 

If you need further information on the IT law in Ireland, please contact our team of Irish lawyers.