Representative Actions In Ireland: Key Developments In 2025

With the first representative action issued pursuant to the Representative Actions for the Protection of the Collective Interests of Consumers Act 2023 (the "Act"), 2025 was a landmark year for collective litigation in Ireland. In this briefing we recap on the key developments.

Ireland's first representative action: ICCL v Microsoft

The Act introduced a new statutory mechanism for representative actions to be brought by qualified entities ("QEs") on behalf of consumers. Although the Act was commenced on 30 April 2024, Ireland's first representative action was only issued in May 2025, paving the way for future representative actions before the Irish courts.

On 26 May 2025, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties ("ICCL") was granted leave to bring Ireland's first representative action against Microsoft (the "Proceedings"). The Proceedings concern "Real-Time Bidding" within Microsoft's online advertising system. In these Proceedings, ICCL seek injunctive