Design rights are specific to a country or area. In practice, this means that an application filed in Finland only pertains to the area of Finland. The registration authority in Finland is the National Board of Patents and Registration.

Content of a design right

A design right prevents all other parties from making use of the registered design without the holder’s permission. Making use of the design is considered to include the manufacture, marketing, import and export of products as well as the storing of products for these purposes.

Requirements for design registration

1. Novelty

Design registrations no longer require absolute novelty from the product. Design rights now include what is known as the grace period, which lasts for 12 months. In practice, this means that the product may be launched 12 months before filing the design right application, and it may also be marketed. If the applicant intends to use the grace period, the launching of the product should be documented as carefully as possible, in case the exact time of the launch needs to be verified later. In practice, however, it is advisable to file the design right application before launching the product.

2. Individual character

In order to be protected, a design must have individual character. This will be evaluated based on the overall impression, which must differ from previously known designs. When evaluating the individual character of a design, the nature of the product will also be considered, as will the industry to which the product is related and the degree of creative freedom the designer has applied in designing the product. For this reason, the evaluation of individual character and distinctions between designs varies by product and industry.

Validity of designs

In Finland, a design right is valid for five years from the day of filing the application. It can be renewed four times for a period of five years each time. The maximum term of protection is 25 years.