As would be expected of one of the most innovative countries in the world, Finland continues to be a favourable jurisdiction for inventors, entrepreneurs and rights holders of all shapes and sizes. It recently ramped up its ambition to become a pioneer in the digital economy by 2030, with two...

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As would be expected of one of the most innovative countries in the world, Finland continues to be a favourable jurisdiction for inventors, entrepreneurs and rights holders of all shapes and sizes. It recently ramped up its ambition to become a pioneer in the digital economy by 2030, with two key digital economy transformation projects. One is the Real Time Economy Project, rolled out by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and coordinated with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. This initiative aims to consolidate the country’s position at the frontline of global digitalisation and use information technology to bolster the international competitiveness of indigenous companies in the digital economy. Further programmes have also been put in place to foster growth and innovation, albeit on an EU level, such as the EU SME Fund, which launched in early 2022. This is to be jointly run by the European Commission and the EU IP Office and will offer EU-based SMEs the opportunity to claim financial help to cover the cost of securing patents from their national patent offices. It comes as no surprise then that practitioners are highlighting a flurry of activity on the non-contentious front, with patent application levels rising and commercialisation activity at an all-time high. Turning to litigation, technology, pharmaceutical and energy mandates still account for a significant portion of the workload, which also remains relatively steady. Overall, IP activity in Finland is looking super healthy and optimism remains high.

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