Pri­vacy sta­te­ment of the PRH’s ba­sic re­gis­ters

The Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) is a government authority whose duties and activities are based on the law. The following are the key pieces of legislaation relevant to the activities of the agency:

  • Act on the Finnish Patent and Registration Office
  • Trade Register Act
  • Business Information Act
  • Associations Act
  • Foundations Act
  • Act on the Freedom of Religion
  • Enterprise Mortgages Act
  • Enterprise Act
  • Patents Act
  • Act on Utility Model Rights
  • Act on the Exclusive Right in the Layout-Design (Topography) of an Integrated Circuit
  • Trademarks Act
  • Registered Designs Act
  • Auditing Act
  • Act on Public Finance Auditing
  • Act on Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing


The PRH is a controller operating under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, and it maintains basic public registers related to its operations. Basic registers are societally important data sets on which provisions are contained in an act or decree. The basic registers maintained by the PRH include the Trade Register, Register of Associations, Register of Foundations, Patent Register and the Trademark Register.

Provisions on the statutory duties of the PRH are contained in the Act on the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. To perform its duties, the PRH collects, stores and processes data that can be linked to an individual (personal data).

The purpose of the processing of personal data is to process the applications, notifications and other matters falling under the purview of the PRH and to provide information services related to these tasks. Personal data is only processed to the extent required by its intended use.

Controller and contact persons

Controller

Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH)
Mailing address: Finnish Patent and Registration Office, FI-00091 PRH, Finland
Street address: Sörnäisten rantatie 13 C, Helsinki, Finland
Tel. (switchboard): +358 29 509 5000

Representatives of controller

Trade Register, Register of Associations, Register of Religious Communities, Register of Foundations and Register of Enterprise Mortgages: Ville Tornberg
Email: ville.tornberg[at]prh.fi
Tel. +358 29 509 5409

Auditor oversight: Hanna Kattainen
Email: hanna.kattainen[at]prh.fi
Tel. +358 29 509 5859

Supervision of foundations: Outi Teräskallio
Email: outi.teraskallio[at]prh.fi
Tel. +358 29 509 5638

Patent Register, Utility Model Register, Trademark Register, Designs Register, Layout Design Register and IP pre-diagnostic service: Jorma Lehtonen
Email: jorma.lehtonen[at]prh.fi
Tel. +358 29 509 5904

Data protection officer

Tel. +358 29 509 5000
Email: tietosuojavastaava[at]prh.fi

The PRH maintains public basic registers as part of its statutory duties. The purpose of the processing of the personal data is to process applications, notifications and other matters concerning these registers and to provide advisory and information services on the registers.

In addition to maintaining the registers, the PRH also supervises the registers and keeps them up to date. The statutory tasks of the PRH also include the supervision of certain parties entered in the registers, such as foundations and auditors.

The PRH must carry out the investigation, testing, monitoring and planning tasks as well as the other tasks assigned to it by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment or that are separately laid out for it.

Compliance with Articles 6(1)(c) (controller’s statutory obligation) and 6(1)(e) (performance of a task carried out by the controller in the public interest) of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation serves as the legal basis for the processing of personal data.

The PRH collects information on persons authorised by the PRH to produce IP pre-diagnostic service (IP Scan) in Finland. The purpose of the processing of the personal data is to guide and supervise the activities of these persons and to ensure that the customer of the service can be certain that the expert possesses the required authorisation. The processing of the personal data is based on Article 6(1)(a) of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (consent of the data subject).

The processing of the log data is based on section 17 of the Information Management Act (906/2019).

Personal data storage periods

Under the Archive Act (831/1994), the archiving party must determine the storage periods and methods for the documents accumulated as a result of the tasks and to maintain an archive formation plan for them. Under the Archive Act, the National Archives of Finland determines which documents or which data contained in the documents should be stored permanently.

Most of the personal data and documents processed by the PRH are stored on a permanent basis.

Data on beneficial owners is stored for 10 years after the details of the party subject to the reporting obligation have been deleted from the register (section 5(6) of the Trade Register Act (564/2023)).

Chapter 6 of the Auditing Act (1141/2015) contains provisions on the storage of information in the register of auditors and the register of auditors’ examinations.

Even if the data entered in a register specified in the law is kept for a fixed period, the personal data in question is stored permanently if it is contained in documents that have been ordered to be stored permanently.

The personal data contained in the IP pre-diagnostic service is stored until the matters concerning the implementation of the service and the related compensations have been fully processed.

Personal data processed by the PRH

The personal data content may vary depending on the intended use of the register.

The following personal data is processed in the PRH’s basic registers:

  • identity data (name, date of birth)
  • personal identity code
  • contact information (address, phone number, email)
  • details of financial position (pay and remuneration information)
  • nationality
  • municipality of residence
  • person’s home address
  • copy of the passport
  • signature
  • details of business prohibition
  • details of the limitation of the capacity to act
  • details of the role or position in which the person has been registered
  • auditor identification number
  • details of auditor examination
  • auditor approval information
  • details of the quality control and investigation of auditors
  • details of the auditor’s employment relationship
  • ownership details of audit firms
  • details of the control exercised by the beneficial owner or the basis and extent of the ownership or voting rights
  • details of the prohibition of registration
  • criminal and fine register details
  • details of the founding members of a religious community
  • work experience
  • knowledge of the sector
  • log data.


As a rule, the PRH does not process special categories of personal data referred to in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Regular data sources

As a rule, we receive the personal data on the basis of the notification obligation specified in an act or decree or an application submitted by a customer. For example, the customer can submit a notification to the Trade Register or apply for a patent. The information provided in the notifications or applications may concern the notifier and other parties.

Personal data is also accumulated when the customers use the PRH’s online services.

Personal data is also obtained from other authorities, such as the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, the Finnish Tax Administration and the Legal Register Centre.

Disclosure of data

We may disclose your personal data in situations required and permitted by law.

Depending on the intended use of the register, personal data may, as a rule, be disclosed to the authorities and other parties, such as

  • the Finnish Tax Administration
  • the Digital and Population Data Services Agency
  • credit information companies
  • insurance companies
  • information service companies
  • European Business Register (EBR)
  • Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS)
  • Beneficial Ownership Registers Interconnection System (BORIS)
  • Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF)
  • audit supervisory authorities in Switzerland (FAOA) and the United States (PCAOB)
  • European Patent Office (EPO)
  • European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).


Data may be disclosed from the PRH’s public registers to parties requesting it in accordance with the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. The information and the documents are public unless specifically ordered to be kept secret by law.

Transfer of data outside the EEA countries or to international organisations

In specific cases, the PRH may also transfer personal data to organisations operating outside the European Economic Area (third countries) in accordance with Chapter V of the General Data Protection Regulation or an obligation under an international treaty.

  • World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), transfer basis: international treaties (Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Madrid Protocol Concerning the International Registration of Marks, the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of the Industrial Designs).
  • EPO, transfer basis: European Patent Convention.
  • PCAOB, transfer basis: administrative arrangement under Article 46(3)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation.
  • FAOA, transfer basis: Commission equivalence decision under Article 45(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Automated decision-making

The PRH makes automated decisions, and personal data is processed in some of them.

In automated decision-making, the PRH processes a notification or an application using automated data processing without the person processing the case separately reviewing and approving the decision. Automated decision-making is always based on the rules arising from the law or established decision-making practices.

The PRH has assessed in advance the issues permitting and preventing automated decision-making. If the prerequisites for automated decision-making are not met, the matter is referred to the person processing the case.

The PRH automatically processes and registers certain registration notifications. For example, the PRH automatically processes the notifications of termination of business for a private trader to the Trade Register, termination of appointment and notifications of resignation to the Trade Register and notifications of changes concerning persons responsible for a company to the Trade Register. Read more about automated decision-making by the PRH.​

The PRH does not use logic based on learning AI applications or statistical or scientific models when making automated decisions.

Rights of the data subject

Right of access

You have the right to access your personal data and check its content. You can check your details entered in the Trade Register in the suomi.fi service.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

If you cannot use online services to check your data, you can submit a request to access your personal data to the PRH

  • by email
  • by post (Finnish Patent and Registration Office, FI-00091 PRH, Finland)
  • by telephone (+358 29 509 5000)
  • by visiting our customer service point in Helsinki.


We recommend that you use secure email if you submit the request by email. Select ‘Control of your details’ as the message recipient. Read the instructions and send secure email.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

Be prepared to prove your identity.

Right to rectification of data

You have the right to rectify inaccurate and incorrect personal data on you.
Give the following information in the rectification request:

  • the data you want to correct (word for word)
  • proposed changes (word for word)
  • justification for the proposed changes
  • your name
  • your contact information (such as email address or phone number).


If your matter concerns a company, association or foundation, enter its name and Business ID or registration number.

If your address has been registered for a company, association or foundation in which you do not hold a responsible position, submit the request for rectification concerning incorrect contact details on an online form.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

Give the following information on the online form:

  • name and Business ID of the company or association
  • address or other contact information incorrectly registered in the company’s or association’s data
  • email address to which we should send the information about the processing of the rectification request.


If you have been registered for a task without your consent, submit a rectification request concerning a register entry made without consent on an online form.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

Give the following information on the online form:

  • does your rectification request concern a company, association or foundation
  • name and Business ID of the company, association or foundation
  • a task for which you have been registered without your consent
  • email address to which we should send the information about the processing of the rectification request.


Attach a separate report stating the reasons why the information on your task entered in the register is incorrect and how it has been determined that you have been registered for the task without your consent. The report must be in PDF format. Please note that we cannot process the rectification request without the report.

If you have held a position entered in the register that has ended, you also have the right to submit a notification of the completion of the task yourself. The notification can be submitted free of charge. You can send the notification online at ytj.fi or using a paper form. Go to the online service at ytj.fi in Finnish or Swedish.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

In other cases, you can submit the request to rectify your own data to the PRH

  • by email
  • by post (Finnish Patent and Registration Office, FI-00091 PRH, Finland).


We recommend that you use secure email if you submit the request by email. Select ‘PRH Registry’ as the message recipient. Read the instructions and send secure email.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

Be prepared to prove your identity in all situations.

Right to deletion of data

You have the right to request that the PRH deletes your personal data that is processed on the basis of your consent. In that case, the PRH must delete your details without undue delay. In your request, describe which information the request concerns.

We recommend that you use secure email to send the deletion request. Select ‘PRH Registry’ as the message recipient. Read the instructions and send secure email.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

Be prepared to prove your identity.

Please note that the PRH mainly processes personal data to comply with a statutory obligation or to carry out a task in the public interest. The right to delete data does not apply to such processing.

Restrictions on the data subject’s rights

If the processing of the personal data is based on the compliance with a statutory duty of the PRH or a performance of a task carried out in the public interest, you cannot request the deletion of your personal data or its transfer to another system and, as a rule, you cannot object to the processing of your personal data.

Please note that the restrictions on the data subject’s rights apply to most of the personal data processed by the PRH.

Right to submit a complaint to the supervisory authority

If you consider that your personal data is processed unlawfully, you can submit a complaint to the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman.

For more information on submitting the complaint, visit the website of the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman.Avautuu uuteen välilehteen

Other information

Privacy statement of the Finnish Business Information System (BIS)Avautuu uuteen välilehteen
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