European Patents extension (validation) to Finland

A European patent extension to Finland grants the same rights as the national patent, starting from the date when the notification of the European Patent Office regarding the grant of a patent has been published.

Due to the fact that Finland became part of the London agreement on 1 November 2011 the validation takes place by giving, in most cases, a translation of the claims of the European patent and by paying the publication fee (EUR 450) within 3 months of the mention of the grant in the European Patent Bulletin.

If the language of the proceedings of the European patent has been English, then only the claims in Finnish, or in certain cases in Swedish, have to be given. If the language of the proceedings of the European patent has been French or German, then a translation of the whole description, including drawings, must be given either in English or in Finnish, and the claims in Finnish, or in certain cases in Swedish,.

The translation may be filed in Swedish if the applicant’s or patent holder’s own language is Swedish. A company's own language is Swedish if the recording language used in the company is Swedish.

Additional annual maintenance fees start from the fourth year (from filing date) and are EUR 200 3^rd year, EUR 155 for the 4^th  year, EUR 170 for 5^th year, EUR 195 for 6^th year etc.