Preparing for the new Trademark Act
During the year, the PRH made preparations for the entry into force of the new Trademark Act and the changes arising from it.
The comprehensive legislative reform launched in 2016 was completed in March 2019 when the Finnish Parliament approved the new Trademark Act.
Under the new act, all trademark applications must be filed electronically. In the future, applications for invalidating and revoking a trademark can also be submitted to the PRH instead of a court and it is no longer necessary to give a graphic representation of a trademark. This may allow the registration of new types of trademark.
No changes in the number of applications
The number of trademark applications in 2018 was almost at previous year’s levels. The largest number of applications was submitted in the education, training and entertainment classes.
The number of design registrations was also close to previous years’ levels.
New services and quality work
We introduced new services for our trademark customers. We opened a new e-service channel for such procedures as applications for invalidating and revoking trademarks.
We also prepared changes to our services required by the new Trademark Act.
In addition, the PRH enhanced the quality of the processing of trademark applications by introducing a quality management system and certification that meet the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard.
The PRH launched trademark cooperation with China
The PRH has successfully cooperated with the Chinese Patent Office formerly SIPO) for many years in such areas as the exchange of researchers.
During the year, the already close cooperation was extended to cover trademarks when the Chinese agency also assumed responsibility for the registration of trademarks and was renamed CNIPA (National Intellectual Property Administration, PRC).
It is hoped that the new cooperation will benefit Finnish trademark applicants in China.
Jorma Hanski, Director of Patents and Trademarks at the PRH, was elected as the Chairperson of the Management Board of EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) for the period 2019-2022.
New trademarks
We introduced trademarks registered in Finland in 2017 and 2018 on our website and in our newsletters.
Varför Paris, vi har ju Åbo
A collection of men’s wear designed for a clothing factory in Turku caught the attention of Swedish media at the 1964 Paris fair. Decades later, the comment “Varför Paris, vi har ju Åbo" (Why Paris when we have Turku) moulded into the trademark of a Turku-based association supporting Finnish design (Uuden muotoilun yhdistys UMY ry).
Eko-Ikkuna
A company manufacturing ecological PVC windows and doors protected its brand by registering their word and figurative marks as a trademark.
Rosk'n Roll
The nickname given to a waste management company first became its official name. Later, the figurative mark and the word ‘Rosk’n Roll’ also became trademarks for the company.
Muksubussi
‘Muksubussi’ (kiddy bus) is an electrically assisted bicycle bus intended for carrying small children. The figurative mark ‘Muksubussi’ is a registered trademark.
Entis
Entomophagy means using insects as food for people. A student project connected with insect food became a startup and eventually, the project name ‘Entis’ was adopted as its trademark.
Välitunti - Rajapinnat ylittävää tukea®
A company providing social services registered their slogan “Rajapinnat ylittävää tukea" (Support beyond boundaries) as a trademark.
