Ireland offers many advantages to companies seeking to establish a base in Ireland to exploit intellectual property.

There is a low corporation tax rate in Ireland and it has what is considered to be a business-friendly taxation regime. In certain circumstances a company carrying on a trade of exploiting intellectual property which it has acquired can reduce its effective corporation tax rate on income arising from the intellectual property to as low as 2.5%. Ireland is a common law jurisdiction with an independent and efficient court system, a wide range of legal protections for the creators/owners of intellectual property rights and the possibility of obtaining generous state grant assistance with research and development projects.

Ireland’s highly educated, English-speaking workforce provides a wealth of human capital. A long-standing member of the European Union, it has strong trading links both in Europe and with the rest of the world. It also boasts a unique relationship with the USA, which has resulted in significant rates of foreign direct investment and research and development over recent decades.