Industrial design registration in Finland

Industrial design registration in Finland

Registration of industrial designs in Finland – Every company that owns an industrial design and intends to expand its business in the market in Finland should use Finland’s intellectual property system. It is paramount for companies to file an industrial design application in Finland for industrial designs, even if the launch of the respective product on the market in Finland has not yet commenced. 

Requirements for industrial design registration application in Finland

Finnish and Swedish is the official language when registering an industrial design at the Finland Intellectual Property Office. 

The following information and documents need to be provided in the application for registration of an industrial design in Finland: 

  • name, address, and nationality of the applicant, business address; 
  • class number according to the Locarno Classification;
  • indication of the product related to the industrial design;
  • country, filling date, and number of the priority application (if any);
  • representation of the industrial design;
  • proof of payment of the corresponding fees.
The Priority Document must be provided if requested by the Finland IP office.

Power of Attorney is required on the filing or in response to the office action. The term for submission is 2 months from the office action.

Examination of an industrial design application in Finland

 An industrial design registration application in Finland will automatically undergo the substantive examination process.

Validity period and renewal of industrial designs in Finland

The renewal period for the novelty of an industrial design in Finland is 12 months before the date of filing the industrial design registration application. 

Within two months of receiving the Office’s notice, the official registration fee must be paid. The renewal fees must be paid at least six months before the current term of validity expires and no later than one year prior to that date. An additional fee must be paid for renewal if conducted within six months of the validity term expiration.
In Finland, a design registration is valid for five years from the filing date. It can be extended to additional five 5-year periods for a total of a maximum of 25 years. The maximum period of protection for a design that is a component of a complicated product and is utilized to restore the complex product’s original look is 15 years.

Represented by an industrial design registration attorney 

An international applicant for an industrial design registration in Finland should perform an industrial design search in Finland through a law firm, or an industrial design attorney. 

You can find the list of Finland IP firms here.