Change of patent applicant or holder (assignment)
You may sell or otherwise transfer (assign) your patent or application to another holder. It is important to register the assignment in the Patent Register. A non-registered assignment will not affect a third party who has obtained the patent right in good faith.
If a patent has several holders, each of them may assign their own share to someone else without the consent of the other holders. A company merger or demerger requires the assignment to be entered in the register if the company’s Business ID changes.
The assignment or the documents enclosed with it must include:
- The patent or application number
- The name of the previous holder or applicant
- The new holder’s or applicant’s name, place of residence (domicile) or registered office, and address, and the company’s Business ID
- The date on which the rights were assigned
- The assignor’s signature and date
- The assignee’s signature or consent to assignment
You can file the assignment by submitting us a copy of the signed assignment. See an example of an assignment on the page Patent forms.
The assignment may also be a copy of another document, such as a contract of sale stating the details mentioned above. Any business secrets in the document should be redacted.
If the new holder or applicant appoints a representative, enclose the representative’s name, address, and place of residence or registered office, as well as the representative’s power of attorney with the assignment. If the holder or applicant is not domiciled in Finland, they must appoint a representative who resides in the European Economic Area (EEA).
How to file the changes
File the changes with the PRH in writing. You can send the notification and enclosures to the PRH Registry by post, email or secure email. You can also hand in the documents at the PRH customer service point.
See the contact details for the PRH Registry.
Fees
There is no charge for filing an assignment of an application with the Patent Register. Assigning a patent is subject to a charge. We will record the change in the register after you have paid the fee to the PRH bank account. Provide the number of the application or patent as the reference number of the payment.
See our bank account numbers on the page Patent fees and payment instructions.