Patent fees change

Our patent fees will change as of 1 April 2010 by virtue of a decree of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy concerning the chargeable services of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland: Decree No. 143/2010, issued on 26.2.2010.

The fee amendments concern national patents, national utility models, patents and utility models according to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), European patents, supplementary protection certificates, layout-designs of integrated circuits, and the Register of Patent Attorneys.

The implementing provisions of the decree state that if an annual fee for a patent application or a patent is due for payment on or after the day on which the decree comes into force, and is paid in advance (in this case, before 1 April 2010), the fee must be paid according to section 1 of the above decree. It is therefore important that the correct amount is paid; if not, the difference must be paid on the due date at the latest. Failure to do so will result in an increased annual fee.

For further information, please contact Ms Laila Jungfelt, Head of Division, tel. +358 9 6939 5663.