We are pleased to tell you that our team has been strengthened by two new experts in September. Elina Heikkilä (LL.M.) has joined our trademark attorneys and Kevin Tung (LL.B. & M.Sc. (Chem.)) has joined our Patent team in Chemistry.

Elina Heikkilä (LL.M:) handles trademark, design right and domain name matters. She is also familiar with pre-mapping, protection and contract matters related to intellectual property rights. She acts as European Trademark Attorney and European Design Right Attorney.

Kevin Tung (LL.B. & M.Sc. (Chem.)) works as a patent agent in our chemistry team. He brings Chinese language competence in our company and therefore strengthens our know-how in the Chinese market. Kevin has a degree in law (University of Sheffield) and chemistry (Imperial College, London). Besides working as a patent agent, Kevin also studies in the Master’s Degree Programme in Intellectual Property Law at Hanken.

We warmly welcome both into our team here at BORENIUS & Co!

Patent agency BORENIUS & Co Oy Ab is to sue the law firm that recently adopted the name Attorneys at Law Borenius Ltd. The reason for taking legal action is the announcement made in May that the law firm formerly known as Borenius & Kemppinen has changed its name to Borenius with the intention turning the name into a strong brand for themselves. According to the patent agency BORENIUS & Co, the law firm is acting in full violation of the contract signed by both parties, in which they agreed to avoid any misleading or confusing use of the name Borenius.

The established name logo used by patent agency BORENIUS & Co:

The confusing logo currently used by Attorneys at Law Borenius Ltd.:

“We see this as highly unethical business practice. In our opinion, especially attorneys should respect joint contracts. We have been operating side by side in mutual understanding for decades, and have also been able to agree on the use of the name. The new situation causes confusion and substantially complicates our business activities”, states the managing director of BORENIUS & Co, Karri Leskinen.

“BORENIUS & Co has been developing its brand in a consistent manner for decades, and especially in the recent years we have been working hard in order to increase our visibility.  As a patent agency, we also protect our customers’ brands and immaterial rights. If our brand is violated, we need to defend ourselves”, says managing director Karri Leskinen.

Karri Leskinen considers the name change of the law firm to be regrettable, since the two companies have in the past put plenty of effort into avoiding confusion.  In autumn 2003, the companies consensually agreed over the use of domain names. In spring 2008, the companies signed a detailed contract over the use of the name after lengthy negotiations. According to the contract, the parties refrain from any such dominant use of the name Borenius that might be misleading or cause confusion in regard to the contracting parties’ business operations.

Patent agency BORENIUS & Co considers the law firm Borenius & Kemppinen to have acted in violation of the contract by adopting the shortened name Borenius. In their announcement of 13 May 2011, the law firm connects the name change with the brand, stating the following: ”We want to strengthen the Borenius brand and communicate more efficiently about our legal services to clients and partners.” In the patent agency’s view, the risk of confusion is obvious also because the companies’ business activities are close to each other in the field of immaterial rights.

According to the trade register entry, the law firm was established in 1948 under the name Attorneys at law Borenius & Castrén. From 1963 until this spring the company operated under the name Attorneys at law Borenius & Kemppinen.

The patent agency BORENIUS & Co, which was established in 1928, has been operating under the same name constantly throughout its entire history. The commercial name was entered in the trade register in 1932. The company has also purposefully maintained the original logo and its unique font. The new logo published by the law firm in May bears a confusing resemblance to that of BORENIUS & Co. Patent Agency BORENIUS & Co is an international service organization which specializes in intellectual property rights and employs approximately 40 experts.

For more information, contact:

Tel. +358 9 686 68410 Karri Leskinen, Managing Director, BORENIUS & Co

Our team has once again been strengthened by two excellent experts.

Anu Keinänen (M.Sc.) handles the patenting of inventions related to the fields of IT and nanotechnology both in Finland and internationally. She acts as a Registered Patent Attorney in Finland and has also passed the challenging European Patent Attorney qualification examination. In addition, Anu prepares statements concerning surveys and infringement matters. She has previously worked in the IT industry and as a patent attorney. Anu has been employed in Borenius & Co since 11 April 2011.

Jukka Taskinen (Ph.D.) handles the patenting of inventions related to biotechnology, bioinformatics and molecular biology both in Finland and internationally. Jukka also performs freedom-to-operate analyses and novelty searches, as well as prepares statements. Jukka has previously been employed in the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland and in a patent attorney office, and he has been working in the field since 2006. Jukka has been employed in Borenius & Co since 9 May 2011.

We warmly welcome both into our team here at BORENIUS & Co!

”It feels unbelievably great that we made it into the top five. This is all thanks to our people: together we have been able to create an inspiring workplace” says the Managing Director of BORENIUS & Co, Karri Leskinen.

The success factors of BORENIUS & Co include the innovative atmosphere as well as the considerable attention paid to the wellbeing of the personnel. ”The active attitude of the personnel, their motivation and strong team spirit are evident in their work, meaning that the customers are also able to enjoy the fruits of the good workplace we have created”, Leskinen points out.

”The competition in the small organisations’ category was tougher than ever before, and it has never been more difficult to make it into the top five”, says Panu Luukka, the Managing Director of Great Place to Work® Institute Finland. ”In BORENIUS & Co, the commitment of the management to creating a good workplace is amazing. For them, creating a good workplace is not just one project among others, but a systematic mode of operation”, Luukka explains.

Karri Leskinen thinks that the patent agencies of the future need to be able to sense even the hidden needs of the customers and fulfil them. A service organization can only generate additional value by creating unique experiences with one customer at a time. This requires an extremely innovative organization, in which each and every employee is open for change and committed to the continuous development of the operation.

In Leskinen’s opinion, the basis for the continuous innovation lies in the company culture. The atmosphere in a creative organization is open, honest, safe, and supporting. In addition, the organization also needs to remember to visibly reward new ideas and actions. In a good workplace, the self-esteem of the personnel and the entire organization is healthy. In the spirit of openness and self-criticism it is easier for everyone to detect and accept the need for change. In the future, the need for innovativeness will only increase. BORENIUS & Co has been striving for a positive company culture for years.

”There are still considerable differences between expert organizations. Sometimes the expert is left alone with his work. In the best expert organizations, the employees are urged to participate and encouraged to commit to the company’s goals through active dialogue”, states Panu Luukka. ”Finland’s best workplaces have also been proven to be more innovative than others. In the best workplaces, there is a belief that people want to make things better. In an encouraging atmosphere, people have the courage to try out new things without being afraid of making mistakes – instead, mistakes are something to be learned from”, says Luukka.

Annika Hakkila (M.Sc. Eng.) is a European Patent Attorney and handles patenting processes both in Finland and internationally. Annika specializes in inventions related to chemistry, and she has wide-ranging experience in the fields of organic and inorganic chemistry and polymer technology. Annika has been employed in the patent field since 1990, working in the industrial sector until 1996 and after that as a patent attorney; she also has experience from other positions in the industrial sector.

Hans Stellberg (M.Sc. Eng., M.Sc. Econ.) handles the patenting of inventions related to electrical and mechanical engineering, especially paper machine and air conditioning technology. He represents his customers as a European Patent Attorney both in Finnish and international patent proceedings. Hans has extensive experience in patent matters – he has been employed in the patent field since 1988.

We warmly welcome both into our team here at BORENIUS & Co.

Our Partner Jonna Sahlin (M.Sc.) qualified as an European Patent Attorney in August 2010 after successfully passing the European Qualifying Examination.
Jonna Sahlin (M.Sc.) takes care of a wide range of industrial rights matters for her customers, specializing in the fields of chemistry, medical science, and diagnostics. In addition to handling the protection of inventions, Jonna also advises her customers in various questions relating to immaterial rights strategy, presents statements on patents and performs Freedom to Operate searches.
In the autumn meeting of the Finnish association of Patent Attorneys Jonna was also selected to continue as the chairman of the association in 2011.

Arja Mäntylä and Linda Norrgård New Registered Patent Attorneys

Arja Mäntylä (M.Sc.) and Linda Norrgård (M.Sc.) have been registered as patent attorneys in Finland since September 2010.
Arja specializes in the patenting of inventions relating to biotechnology and molecular biology both in Finland and internationally. Linda is a chemistry patent attorney, and she handles first and foremost the protection of inventions in the fields of polymer technology and medicinal chemistry, as well as performs patent database searches relating thereto.

New Experts: Patent Attorney Toni Korelin and Patent Agent Simo Zitting

Last autumn, we also had the pleasure of welcoming new experts into BORENIUS & Co: Patent Attorney Toni Korelin (M.Sc.) and Patent Agent Simo Zitting (M.Sc.) joined our team in August/September.
Toni has nearly ten years of experience in the patent field and specializes in patenting inventions relating to mechanical and construction engineering as well as nanotechnology both in Finland and internationally. Simo is an expert in patenting inventions that relate to wood processing technology, especially paper technology.

”Well-timed protection of innovations is of great importance for the research and product development in the field of biotechnology. It is advisable to consult an expert already in the early stages of the R&D process,” says Jaana Hämäläinen.

Understandably, biotechnological companies and university research groups would like to get their results published in academic publications whenever possible. Hämäläinen points out that publishing and patenting are not mutually exclusive. However, a patent application must, without exception, be filed before publishing. ”In this way, the top results of one’s own research and product development can be transformed into profitable business that also attracts investors,” states Jaana Hämäläinen.

The entering of Jaana Hämäläinen as a partner of BORENIUS & CO serves to further strengthen the company’s expertise in the field of biotechnology. The other partners of BORENIUS & Co include Pia Hjelt, Silvio Hjelt, Jonna Sahlin, Peter Åkerlund, Karri Leskinen, and Christian Westerholm.

The objective of the forum is to create an opportunity for promoting EU–Russia cooperation in the field of innovation. The themes include
-    modernizing our industries,
-    commercializing Russian innovations,
-    promoting energy efficiency, and
-    EU–Russia innovation collaboration roadmaps 2010–2013.

In drawing up the roadmaps, the expert groups will concentrate on innovation policy, research and university cooperation, business cooperation and innovation & business support cooperation.

Consulting Manager Petri Nieminen from BORENIUS & Co will be present at the forum.

”Intellectual property rights that are well taken care of transmit light long distances. A patent is a strong sign that a company believes in itself, is capable of developing something new and ready to defend its business. Intellectual property that is skilfully protected boosts the value of the company, strengthens its bargaining position, increases revenue and attracts investors. First of all, it protects the company’s product development and stops the results of years of work and dedication from going down the drain. The bright shine of patents will also keep competitors at bay. BORENIUS & Co is offering its customers industrial peace and freedom to operate.”

Come and discuss the current issues in innovation cooperation with Petri.

Read more about the event: http://www.eurussiainnoforum.com/en

BORENIUS & Co’s Managing Director Karri Leskinen:

”The national strategy of intellectual property rights emphasized the importance of education, accentuating especially the need for making the technical, economical and juridical know-how available within one training event. BORENIUS & Co takes on this challenge by its unique BUSINESS RUNS ON IP™ service offering, which is targeted especially for those in charge of business operations. In this training event, we combine all the know-how and experience we have accumulated through years of consulting and training.”

BUSINESS RUNS ON IP™ takes on a business-minded approach. The training is designed especially for people responsible for business and product development and marketing. Director of Education Services, Petri Nieminen:

”Over the years, we have developed an extensive modular training package to benefit our customer companies. Now, we would like to make this available for everyone. The unifying theme of the training is strengthening competitiveness.”

The first part of the two-day training concentrates on seizing the value created through marketing and brands, while the second part focuses on product development and entering the market.

At the first stage, training events are held in Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Tampere, Turku, and Vaasa. The language of the training is Finnish. Negotiations are underway for organizing training in St. Petersburg.

For more information on BUSINESS RUNS ON IP™, contact

Managing Director Karri Leskinen, karri.leskinen@borenius.fi
Director of Education Services Petri Nieminen, petri.nieminen@borenius.fi
or visit the Internet site of BUSINESS RUNS ON IP™ at www.businessrunsonip.fi

BORENIUS & Co Oy Ab participated for the first time in the survey of the best workplaces in Finland, which was carried out by the Great Place to Work® Institute Finland. Our company was placed 14th on the Finland’s Best Workplaces list in the category of small organizations. We are especially proud of the fact that we are the number one company in the IPR sector.

This year, a record number of 113 companies took part in the survey. ”This is a remarkable achievement. After all, a large proportion of Finnish companies gave up their efforts in striving for good leadership as a consequence of the challenging economical situation. For this reason, I’m very proud of the companies that did participate in the survey” said Asta Rossi, the CEO of Great Place to Work® Institute Finland. Only the top 50 companies qualified for the list.

Activity that is in keeping with the values of BORENIUS & Co

According to our values statement, BORENIUS & Co is a customer-oriented, reliable, humane and versatile expert. The Great Place to Work® programme can be seen as an activity that supports these values. Especially the humaneness is an important quality: our work entails close collaboration with people and we genuinely care both for our customers and their individual needs as well as for our own personnel. We are open and our way of action is based on the respect of each person as an individual. We invest continuously in the development of our personnel, and this is also reflected in the survey results.

The know-how and commitment of our employees form the cornerstones of our operation; especially in expert organizations, the motivation of the employees is an important factor. Our goal is to inspire people, because inspired people obtain great results.

”I’m extremely delighted with our excellent success already in our first year of participating. Our aim has always been to maintain a good atmosphere at the workplace, but there is much more to a great place to work than a good atmosphere. The Great Place to Work® survey is a useful tool for bringing out the future points of development. Together with our employees, we have tried to find out the best practices, and in this way we have been able to concentrate on all those aspects that create a great place to work. In the future, our wish is to keep participating in the survey and thus develop our operation further, states managing director Karri Leskinen.

For more information on the matter, please contact managing director Karri Leskinen, Tel. +358 9 686 6840, karri.leskinen@borenius.fi