World Intellectual Property Review e-Digest 2012

FINLAND

INS AND OUTS: IP PROTECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

Lauri Rechardt and Timo Enroth Procopé & Hornborg

Patent basics

Patent applications must be filed in writing with the National Board of Patents and Registration (NBPR). Patent application forms are available on the Internet (www.prh.fi/en/patentit) and they can be filed in electronic form.

Due to Finland’s accession on November 1, 2011, to an agreement on the application of Article 65 of the London Agreement, which is a protocol relating to the European Patent Convention (EPC), Finnish patents may be fi led and granted in English. An applicant may draſt the application in either Finnish or Swedish and/or in English.

An applicant has to translate the patent application’s abstract and claims into Finnish or Swedish before it is made available to the public. The result will be a patent with its description in English, and its claims and abstract in English and in Finnish or Swedish. The NBPR may use English as the language of decisions for national patent applications alongside Finnish and Swedish on an applicant’s request. Foreign patent applicants can validate their European patents in Finland by submitting a Finnish or Swedish translation of the claims only, while the description can be submitted in English.

A national patent that is granted in Finland is valid and enforceable within the Finnish territory. Finland is party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). T e PCT application process, which grants patent protection in multiple territories, can begin with a single application that is made to either the NBPR or the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It is also possible to fi le for a European patent under the EPC. Under the provisions of the London Agreement, European patents are validated in Finland if their grant was published in the European Patent Bulletin on or aſt er November 1, 2011.

The filing fee for a Finnish patent is €450 (if filed electronically, €350). The fee will not be refunded if the application does not lead to the grant of a patent.

124 World Intellectual Property Review e-Digest 2012

COUNTERFEITING REMAINS A BIG PROBLEM FOR RIGHT OWNERS, IN PART BECAUSE OF FINLAND’S PROXIMITY TO RUSSIA, WHICH STILL STRUGGLES WITH IP ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS.

A patent is maintained by paying renewal fees. T e fee for the fi rst three years of a patent’s life is €200. T e fi rst renewal fee is paid during the application phase, at the beginning of the third application year. From then on, the renewal fee must be paid annually. It also increases annually, to €900 in the 20th year.

T e costs of defending a patent in the fi rst instance tend to range between €20,000 and €50,000. However, the cost can increase considerably depending on the complexity of the case.

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