Trademark – Your Brand’s Strongest Protection
A strong brand is the cornerstone of a successful business. Building a brand requires time, resources and strategic thinking, but without legal protection all of this work can go to waste. A trademark is the most effective and enduring way to protect your brand from competitors and misuse.
What does a trademark protect?
A trademark is a sign that distinguishes your goods or services from those of others. Typically, trademarks are product names, logos or slogans, but a mark can also be, for example, a sound or a colour. Trademark rights are essentially a right to prohibit: the holder can prevent others from using an identical or similar mark in connection with similar goods or services. The scope of the exclusive right is limited to those goods and services for which the mark is registered.
Why is registration worthwhile?
In Finland, trademark rights can be obtained either by registering the mark with the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) or by establishing it through use. In practice, registration is a considerably more effective, faster and more affordable option, and challenging registered rights is significantly more difficult. The key benefits of registration include:
A registered trademark grants the exclusive right to use the mark for the designated goods and services. You can prevent others from using a mark that creates a likelihood of confusion and use the ® symbol alongside your mark. Trademark protection increases the value of your business and its IP assets, and the mark can also be licensed or utilised in franchise agreements. A trademark strengthens the quality perception of your products and services and gives investors a positive impression of your company. Additionally, a registered trademark can provide an advantage in domain name registration when two parties compete for the same name.
Trademark protection is also exceptionally long-lasting: registration is valid for 10 years and can be renewed indefinitely. The oldest trademark still in force in Finland is SINGER, registered in 1898. In principle, a trademark can therefore be perpetual, as long as the registration is maintained and the mark is used appropriately.
When should you apply for a trademark?
A trademark application should be filed as early as possible, preferably before the product or service is launched on the market. This ensures that the chosen name or sign does not infringe the rights of others and that a competitor does not file for the same or a similar mark in their own name. Proactive protection saves both money and trouble: changing a name after launch is always more expensive and damages the brand recognition already built. Furthermore, the filing date triggers a six-month priority period during which the same mark can be registered with priority in other countries, which is particularly important for internationally active businesses.
What makes a good trademark?
The most important quality of a trademark is distinctiveness. The mark must not merely describe the goods or services for which it is sought. For example, the word “Fitness Coaching” cannot be registered as such for fitness services, but an invented word with no direct connection to the product is an excellent starting point. A juice manufacturer cannot obtain exclusive rights to a fruit name for its juice products, but a tech company can use a fruit as the basis for its trademark. A good trademark is original, easy to remember and sufficiently distinguishable from competitors’ marks.
We recommend that the distinctiveness and registrability of the mark are always assessed with the assistance of a specialist before filing an application. A preliminary search ensures that the mark is neither too descriptive nor too similar to earlier trademarks or trade names, as a likelihood of confusion with similar marks is one of the most common grounds for refusal. Thorough preparatory work saves both time and costs: application fees are not refunded even if the application is refused, and a name change at a later stage can cost the company many times more than the registration process itself.
What does a trademark application contain and what does it cost?
In Finland, trademarks are applied for through the PRH’s online service. The application must specify the mark sought for registration, as well as the goods and services in connection with which the mark will be used. Goods and services are divided into 45 classes. The basic application fee for a Finnish trademark is EUR 250, covering one class. Each additional class costs EUR 100. The electronic application fee for an EU trademark is EUR 850 for one class, EUR 50 for the second class and EUR 150 per additional class from the third class onwards.
Careful drafting of the list of goods and services is the most critical part of the application. The list can no longer be expanded after the application has been filed. The most common mistake made by those handling a trademark application themselves is drafting too narrow a list of goods and services. It is worth thinking broadly about what products and services the mark will cover now and in the coming years.
Trademarks are territorial rights, so the mark should be registered in those countries where goods or services are sold. It is also worth considering registration in key manufacturing countries, so that, for example, changing a subcontractor is not complicated by a local third party’s registration. EU-wide protection is sought through an EU trademark application filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). International protection can also be sought centrally through WIPO via an international registration under the Madrid Protocol, which covers over 130 countries. An international registration requires a so-called basic mark, meaning the applicant must have at least a pending trademark application or registration with a national office (e.g. PRH) or a regional office (e.g. EUIPO). This basic mark forms the foundation of the international registration, and the international application is always filed through the office of the basic mark. WIPO’s basic fee is 653 Swiss francs (approximately EUR 720) for a mark in black and white and 903 Swiss francs (approximately EUR 1,000) for a mark in colour. In addition, country-specific fees are charged for each designated country, as well as possible additional class fees. The total cost therefore depends significantly on the number of countries and classes for which protection is sought. The fee calculator available on WIPO’s website helps in estimating the total cost.
Use and monitoring of a trademark
Registration is only the beginning. The proper use, monitoring and defence of a registered trademark against infringements is the responsibility of the trademark holder. If a mark is left unused for five years, anyone can apply for the registration to be revoked.
It is particularly important to monitor that competitors or other parties do not use the trademark without authorisation. If an infringement is not addressed, the trademark holder may be considered to have acquiesced to the use of a similar mark. It is also essential to ensure that the mark does not become diluted into a generic term. Well-known examples of trademarks that have become generic terms include “heteka” (a type of folding bed in Finland) and “kännykkä” (a colloquial Finnish word for mobile phone, originally a Nokia trademark).
Trademark maintenance also requires regular renewal of registrations every 10 years. The renewal fee is modest compared to, for example, annual patent maintenance fees.
SME Fund – EU support for SMEs
SMEs operating in the EU can apply for financial support for the protection of their intangible assets through EUIPO’s Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund programme. In the 2026 programme, the support covers 75 per cent of official fees for trademarks and designs at EU level (up to EUR 700). For WIPO applications directed outside the EU, a 50 per cent reimbursement of official fees is available. SME Fund 2026 opened on 2 February 2026 and remains open until 4 December 2026, with grants awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. It is important to note that a positive grant decision must be obtained before filing the trademark application.
NORDIA Attorneys at Law – your trademark specialists
We offer comprehensive trademark services from filing to maintenance and enforcement. We manage the trademark portfolios of numerous clients and ensure that your brand receives the protection it deserves, both in Finland and internationally. Get in touch and let us assess your trademark needs together.
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