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National design registration

The National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland is the registration authority for all matters relating to national design rights. An application filed in Finland and the subsequent registration are only valid within Finland. Examples of protected designs in Finland can be found in the National Board of Patents and Registration DesignsNet database.

A Finnish national design right application may contain an unlimited number of designs, provided that these fall into the same main class of the Locarno Classification. A Finnish national design right application is examined both for formalities and content. If the design being applied for is new and presents an overall impression that differs from known designs and is not banal, the design will be published in the National Board of Patents and Registration Design Gazette. After publication, there is a two-month opposition period. If no opposition is lodged during the opposition period, the design will be registered. If an opposition is lodged, the design will be registered or rejected after the opposition proceedings.

The period of protection offered by a Registered Community Design is 25 years, within which registration is first valid for 5 years from the date of application and then must be renewed four times.