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Contact us!National patents
A national patent application can be filed by submitting a patent application to the patent authority of the country concerned. A national patent application may also be filed as a follow-up to an international PCT application. A national patent will only lead to a patent in the country concerned. For example, a national patent application filed in Finland will only result in a patent in Finland.
The national patent authority (in Finland the National Board of Patents and Registration) will determine whether the invention meets all relevant requirements concerning novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability. If the requirements of patentability are not met, the patent office will issue an official action. The applicant can then submit a reply and may, under certain conditions, amend the patent claims of the application so that the scope of protection laid out in them would be in accordance with the requirements. The application will be accepted when the patentability requirements are met.
The national patent authorities must act in accordance with the legislation in effect in their own countries, which means that national applications may result in national patents with different scopes of protection.
Filing the first patent application in Finland
Filing the first patent application in Finland will often provide you with more time to consider the need for international protection and choose the right countries.
Our experience has shown that the Finnish National Board of Patents and Registration deals with patent applications in a prompt and expert manner. Patenting fees charged by the Finnish authorities are also low compared with many other countries. The first technical official action is usually given during the priority year* (12 months). For this reason we also recommend that you file the first patent application in Finland even if you are planning to extend patent protection to other countries at a later stage.
* The priority year starts from the date on which the first patent application is filed in the Patent Office. The benefit of priority is that the foreign patent application is examined as if it had been filed on the same date as the first patent application from which the priority is claimed.
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Carefully planned protection supports a company's business strategy. When you “look before you leap”, you’ll avoid unnecessary costs and IP risks.
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Exclusive rights must be maintained, monitored and defended in order to ensure that your know-how and investments are not exploited by outside parties. Advantages in business come from long-term work!
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