Jyrki Nikula

Jyrki Nikula holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Helsinki. Jyrki has significant experience in contentious and non-contentious IP legal issues over the last 15 years. He has been working on both Finnish and international cases. Jyrki began his career as an attorney-at-law with a major private practice firm in Helsinki. He subsequently worked for a large Finnish company in the Helsinki area before moving to Zurich, Switzerland to work for an international U.S. company. Jyrki has been in charge of IP matters within Europe and he has also been liaising IP legal work between Europe, Asia and U.S. He is well versed in handling disputes and negotiations in different European jurisdictions and in the United States. After returning to Finland, he worked on the legal matters of marketing communications companies. Jyrki started at Kolster in 2011.

During his career, Jyrki has obtained extensive experience in both general contractual law and various IP related matters. He has drafted licensing and copyright contracts and conducted numerous related negotiations. Jyrki is also familiar with co-development-, frame- and outsourcing agreements.

Jyrki has taken care of numerous cases related to product development, technology, sub-contracting, licensing, and coordinated disputes involving several countries. He has negotiated agreements in patent and utility model disputes, trademark infringements, counterfeiting and business name matters, copyrights, and liability issues concerning the Internet and electronic commerce. Jyrki has also acted as an employers' representative in the Market Court of Finland.

During the past years, he has been actively involved in developing the IP legislation and its rules of conduct. In Finland, he has served in work groups preparing the copyright act and employment invention act, for instance, and been a member of the employment invention board and copyright committee. Internationally, he has been involved in several industrial and trade organizations developing the principles for patenting, copyrights, anti-counterfeiting, and electronic commerce.

At Kolster, Jyrki will concentrate on IP strategies, licensing, contractual law, negotiations and arbitration.