Finland became an international PCT Authority

Three years’ persistent work finally bore fruit

The World Intellectual Property Organisation WIPO has on 24 September 2003 unanimously approved the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland as international PCT Authority. The basic idea of the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) system lies in that it allows applying for patent protection simultaneously in all the 120 Contracting States by filing one single application. Statistically Finland has been one of the biggest users of the PCT system in the world.

Finland becomes now the eleventh state in the world authorised to carry out searches and patentability examinations in respect of international patent applications. Other countries with corresponding rights are USA, Russia, Canada, Spain, Japan, Australia, China, the Republic of Korea, Austria and Sweden.

For three years Finland’s application has been the subject of hard international struggle, which finally ended in our country’s victory.
-This is the biggest and most significant international achievement in the history of the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland,” said Director General Martti Enäjärvi, who heads the Finnish delegation in Geneva. He also reminded that the decision now reached is important for the whole country, because the application has enjoyed the unanimous support of the Finnish business life, inventors and other interested circles.

At the same meeting Director General Martti Enäjärvi was re-elected as President of the Budapest Union, an organisation subordinate to WIPO.

Further information:
Kristiina Grönlund
Head of Advisory Service
Phone +358 (0)9 69395334, 040 581 1172