Trademark registration Finland

In order to obtain the rights to a trademark in Finland, you must register this trademark. There is a so-called First to File jurisdiction in the country: the person who registers a trademark first obtains the exclusive rights over it. You can also register a trademark locally at the PRH, the Finnish patent office. Registration in Finland also grants you protection in the Åland Islands, an autonomous archipelago located between Sweden and Finland. Since Finland is a member of the European Union, EUTM trademarks are also protected here. In addition, expansion of international trademark registration via the Madrid System is also possible.

If you want to apply for a trademark in Finland, it is not necessary to have it in use prior to registration. Active use in the past does, however, reduce the chance of rejection on the grounds of poor distinctive character. The use of a brand makes an important contribution to its distinctiveness.

In exceptional cases you can rely on an accelerated process. Fast registration of a mark in Finland is possible, for example, when there are ongoing legal proceedings regarding the trademark. Wanting to launch a brand in the near future is not a valid reason for an accelerated procedure. If your application for registration is approved, protection will apply from the date you submitted the application. This applies to the accelerated and the regular application. This means that if you decide to file a trademark in Finland today, it will take priority over an application filed tomorrow.

A combined mark means a mark that consists of both word elements and figurative elements. If you are going to register a combined trademark in Finland, this will apply to the specific combination of both elements. If you also want to use the word element or figurative element separately from the other, then no protection applies. If you want this, you must submit a separate application. Entrepreneurs who fail to do so run the risk that a third party can use this element. You can only object if his product or service is very similar to yours.

Although a product or service does not need to be in use before you register the trademark in Finland, it cannot remain unused for more than five years after registration. If this does happen, there is a possibility that your trademark will be deleted from the registers. Incidentally, use of the registered trademark must be on a commercial scale.

Registered trademarks are valid in Finland for ten years from the date of application. You can continue to renew this registration indefinitely and do this for a period of ten years each time. You may submit an extension request from twelve months before the expiry date. Extension is still possible up to six months after the end date; you will pay higher costs during this grace period. If you are later, a completely new application for trademark registration must be submitted.