Government proposes new defence inventions act

The new act would replace the current Act on Inventions of Importance to the Defence of the Country. The act would apply to inventions that primarily relate to products subject to national export control. “Finland’s defence industry is growing rapidly and a great deal of development, innovation and patenting is going on in the defence sector. It may be necessary to protect defence-related inventions from public disclosure. Under this act, inventions that are important for national defence could be kept secret. Even though the secrecy obligation may limit inventors’ rights, the act will offer more opportunities for Finnish companies to participate in NATO projects,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto. Under the new act, a defence invention could be ordered to be kept secret without being expropriated by the State. Ownership would remain with the holder of the invention, who could, under certain conditions, also apply for a patent in other NATO member states. A secrecy decision would restrict the patent applicant’s right to exploit the invention freely. However, from the perspective of property rights, this restriction would be less intrusive than expropriation under ...