NBPR now an ISA and IPEA

The National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR) starts functioning as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and an International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) with effect from 1 April 2005.

This function concerns international applications which are filed on or after 1 April 2005 and for which the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland is a competent ISA or IPEA.

The National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland shall act as an ISA / IPEA for international patent applications where the applicant or one of the applicants is a national of Finland, a natural person domiciled in Finland, a legal entity constituted according to Finnish law or anyone who carries on business in Finland and the Receiving Office (RO) is either the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland or the International Bureau of WIPO.

As previously, the applicant can request for a novelty search or a preliminary examination by the Swedish Patent Office or the European Patent Office.

In its role as an ISA / IPEA, the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland uses the following languages: Finnish, Swedish and English.

Fees

Search fee (PCT Rule 16.1(a)) €1,550

Additional fee (PCT Rule 40.2(a)) €1,550

Preliminary examination fee (PCT Rule 58.1(b)) €500

Additional fee for preliminary examination (PCT Rule 68.3(a)) €500

Copies of each document cited in the international search report are free of charge.

Copies other than above, per page (PCT Rules 44.3(b), 71.2(b) and 94.2) €0.60

Fee for international-type search (ITS) €945

Handling fee €129

Refunding of Fees

A €250 refund of the search fee where a national search has already been made by the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland on an application whose priority is claimed for the international application and the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland has benefited from that earlier search.

A 50 or 100 per cent refund of the search fee in respect of an application for which priority is claimed from an application on which an international or ITS search has already been made by the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland.

The amount of the refund depends on the extent to which the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland benefits from that earlier search.

Reduction of Fees by European Patent Office (EPO)

The Administrative Council of the EPO decided in March that Finland and all the other European national PCT Authorities shall be treated equally as regards the reduction of the search fee for the regional phase before the EPO. The amount of the reduction will be agreed upon at the meeting of the Administrative Council on 7 to 9 June 2005. The decision will be applied retroactively, i.e. as to Finland to applications filed as from 1 April 2005.

For further information, please contact
- Unit Director Kristiina Grönlund, tel. +358 (0) 9 6939 5334, or
- Deputy Head of Division Heikki Oksanen, tel. +358 (0) 9 6939 5246.

Vice President Pekka Launis