Helsinki notebook

I am just back from a very interesting and informative session with Finnish users of EU trade marks and designs. This was part of a bilateral event in Helsinki organised with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office.

As well as meeting with the Finnish office and government officials, I gave a presentation to users on the EUIPO’s next strategic plan, SP2025, which is currently being drafted, and took part in a round table discussion

I was glad to see good evidence that the users and the Office are coming to a closer understanding of the challenges ahead for IP rights and what we should do together in response. There were lots of ideas to take note of for the future.

The subject of Brexit came up quite often. No-one can predict exactly what will happen but I am confident that the UK will continue to be a valued partner when it comes to cooperation on IP rights and that British businesses will keep on using EU trade marks and designs.

Finland will be taking over the EU Presidency in the second half of this year and I am confident that they will carry forward the good work of the current Romanian Presidency

It was clear that many of the challenges ahead for IP rights will require a good political response and united action so issues such as the changes at the EU level with the European Parliament elections and the new Commission were also on people’s minds.

Finland will be taking over the EU Presidency in the second half of this year and I am confident that they will carry forward the good work of the current Romanian Presidency. There were strong signals that one of the Finnish priorities will be to support the EU’s innovative edge.

I have previously spoken of the increasing volumes of IP rights, and the rise of China as a major economic force. When this is combined with rapid technological change and a very complex environment for IP enforcement it is clear that new thinking is going to be needed if the EU is to keep that edge.

There was good agreement that we need to provide excellent products and services and to get closer to our users – both large and small.

The Finnish office was a first adopter of the digital back office system developed under the auspices of the EU Intellectual Property Network, which is supported by the EUIPO

In parallel to the bilateral, quite coincidentally, a team from the EUIPO’s Customer Department was in Finland as part of the ‘IP for You’ roadshow. This roadshow is touring 40 European cities this year to spread information about the Office’s services and initiatives to improve quality and user satisfaction and to encourage digital and IP engagement.

I visited the Finnish office and was very impressed by the facilities. It is a very modern and pro-active office and has been a most supportive partner. For example, the Finnish office was a first adopter of the digital back office system developed under the auspices of the EU Intellectual Property Network, which is supported by the EUIPO.

The interests of smaller users or infrequent filers including SMEs were discussed in some detail. This is an EU priority and I have high hopes that the Finns will agree to be pioneers in the search for solutions in this area also.