Electronic patent filing to NBPR available 24/7

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March 4, 2010

Electronic patent filing in Finland

From March 1, 2010, the National Board of Patents and Registration (NBPR) begins to receive electronic patent documents daily, 24/7. The filing date will be the day when the documents have arrived electronically at the NBPR, including weekends and holidays. Electronic filing of patent documents is done by using the Epoline Online Filing software.

Other patent filing related time limits remain

The time limits set by the NBPR will remain unchanged in patent and utility model matters. For example, if the time limit for submitting documents is Sunday, the documents can be delivered on the following business day. This rule also applies to priorities. Similarly, NBPR service hours remain the same for documents that are submitted on paper by mail or delivered to our PatRek Client Service. Thus, documents are registered as received if they arrive at PatRek before 4.15 p.m.

The letterbox which is open until 8.00 p.m., located next to NBPR main entrance, will be removed on 1 April 2010.

Use of the EPO smart card in electronic filing

Other certificates will be accepted for patent filing from 1 March 2010. For example the EPO smart card is accepted in electronic patent filing in addition to the Finnish electronic identity card. The EPO smart card can be ordered at www.epoline.org. All smart cards must be notified to the NBPR for registration in the Epoline Online Filing system.

Sections 5 and 9 in Annex 2, Special orders concerning electronic filing, of the Patent Regulations have been amended accordingly.

In case you need any further information, please contact our patent attorneys.