Offices & Countries / Estonia

The Patent System of Estonia

The Estonian Patent Office is a government agency which operates within the area of government of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and has a directing function on the bases and to the extent prescribed by law. In fulfilling its tasks, the Office represents the state.

The Estonian Acts in the field of intellectual property rights:

• Patent Act
• Utility Models Act
• Trademark Act
• Industrial Design Protection Act
• Act of the Protection of Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits
• Geographical Indication Protection Act
• Implementation of the Convention on the grant of European Patents Act

Estonia participates in the following international treaties:

• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883)
• Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (Stockholm Act, 1967)

Remarks: Estonia acceded to the Paris Convention (Washington Act, 1911) with effect from 12 February 1924. It lost its independence on 6 August 1940 and regained it on 20 August 1991.

• Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (Stockholm, 1967)
• Patent Cooperation Treaty (Washington, 1970)
• Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (1957)
• Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure (1977)
• Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs (1968)
• Strasbourg Agreement concerning the International Patent Classification (1971)
• Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (1989)
• Trademark Law Treaty
• Final Act of the Diplomatic Conference of Trademark Law Treaty
• Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (1999)
• Patent Law Treaty