Eero Mantere appointed as Senior Vice President of the NBPR

The Board of Directors of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR) has today January 4, 2005, elected Senior Lawyer Eero Mantere, Director of International and Legal Affairs, as the new Senior Vice President. This task is temporary and continues till the end of 2007. The Senior Vice President assists President Martti Enäjärvi in the management of the NBPR.

Eero Mantere was appointed as Director of International and Legal Affairs of the NBPR in May 2004. He transferred from the staff of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), where he served as Chief Counsellor. In the years 1998 to 1999, Mantere was employed by the Trade Department of the Ministry, working in support of the Minister of Foreign Trade. During the Finnish EU presidency that post included, among other tasks, service as chairman of the Council Working Group of the Internal Market.

From 1994 to 1997, Eero Mantere served in the Permanent Representation of Finland in EU in Brussels as an expert in the MTI’s administrative sector. Industrial property rights were the focus of his work at that time, for he participated as the representative of Finland in the work of working groups preparing EU legislation in the field of patents, trademarks and design rights.

From 1989 to 1994, Eero Mantere served in the MTI’s Industry Department in law drafting tasks, with special responsibility for statutes on industrial property rights, the Trade Register and the NBPR. In this post, as a member of the Finnish delegation, he participated in numerous meetings of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO. He also took part, as a member of the delegation, in the negotiations on possible Finnish membership in the European Patent Organisation, EPO.

In 1992, Eero Mantere worked in the secretariat of EFTA in Geneva, contributing to the drafting of statutes on industrial property rights of the EEA Agreement.

Further information:
Mr Leo Lehdistö
Director of Communication
National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland
Phone +358 40 547 6789 ??