Novelty grace period for utility model applications in Finland

Finnish Patent Registry

English: Finnish Patent and Registration Office, abbreviation: PRH

Website: PRH - Finnish Patent and Registration Office

Finnish invention patent search: Kitinet - Patentti- ja rekisterihallitus (prh.fi)

The novelty of the invention will not be lost if the information about the invention is disclosed within 6 months before the filing date or the priority date if the following conditions are met:

• Disclosure due to apparent misuse by the applicant or its predecessor owners
• The invention is disclosed at an official or officially recognized international exhibition

The initial protection period is 4 years from the filing date, and can be renewed twice, 4 years and 2 years respectively, up to 10 years.

20 years

Reinstatement of priority is accepted on the grounds of "due care".

• via Paris Convention : 6 months from earliest priority date.
• Hague Agreement route: 6 months from earliest priority date.
• EU appearance route: 6 months from the earliest priority date.

• via Paris Convention : 12 months from earliest priority date.
• via Nationalization of PCT : 31 months from earliest priority date.

PRH conducts formality examination and substantive examination of invention patents. In Finland, the substantive examination of patent applications starts automatically without filing a specific request. Generally, it takes 8 months for PRH to issue the first office action notification, and the applicant needs to reply to the office action within 2-4 months. Patent granted can be obtained if the granted conditions are met.

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