Boco IP is one of the oldest firms in Finland to specialize in the management of intellectual property.
Our Mission
IP expertise is our most valuable asset. We offer expert services in matters relating to intellectual property rights in order to support our customers’ management, product development and marketing, covering all of their IP needs from the initial development of an idea to operation in international markets. Our experts are here to help, from conception to the commercialization of the innovation. We aim to be a strategic partner for our customers, to increase their competitive strength and safeguard their unique know-how. Our guiding principle is to support our customers, whose technologies and services have the ability to improve the well-being of both humans and the environment, thus participating in building a sustainable society.
Boco IP in numbers
Our values
People-oriented
Our work involves close contact with people – we genuinely care about our customers and their individual needs. The same of course also holds true for our own personnel. We are open and our operation is based on the respect of each person as an individual.
Reliable
Reliability is the cornerstone of all our activities. To us, reliability means commitment to our customers and ethical operation in all circumstances. We have long-standing relationships with many of our customers and we have been operating in the IP field for more than 90 years.
Versatility
Boco IP is a versatile expert in the IP field. Our longstanding experience has provided us with a profound insight into the field. We also invest in the continuous training of our personnel.
Customer-focused
All of our operations are based on the needs of the customer; listening to the customer is the starting point for everything we do. We actively communicate with our customers and are capable of great flexibility when needed.
Who are we?
Boco IP is a patent firm, that helps the clients to see far and all directions. The further away in the future companies are looking for, the more important it is to protect their intellectual property. Boco IP has been established in 1928 – first as a family business and since 2005 owned by its key personnel. A lot of care and expertise is committed to the company, and it is the long experience that brings depth to our expertise. Intangible rights are today the most valuable asset of companies. Boco IP is the support and security of the company in the ocean of IP rights. IPR expertise is the most valuable core of Boco IP. Patents, trademarks and designs are precious tools that should be used with care. We look for the best ways to protect a customer’s intangible assets, be it technical innovation, a brand or even the design of an object or interface. Sometimes the solution is found in a surprising direction. The company needs an experienced guide to help navigate the information flood. We map out hidden pitfalls, open up views and look for the best routes for the company. All businesses today live in a world of IP rights, even if they don’t always want to. A wise company ensures its freedom of action in a timely manner – before starting a new business or taking over a territory. Boco IP offers a wide range of services for the protection of intangible assets. The patent office surveys the situation, finds out the position of competitors and helps the company identify its own uniqueness. A good guide can also dig up new ideas, get around obstacles and find new holes. An inventive company always finds a sufficiently different combination on which to build a successful business.Board
Managing Director
Jonna Sahlin
I am happy to advise and assist in various matters related to intellectual property rights and strategy, especially in the fields of chemistry, process technology, medicine, and diagnostics. I like problem solving and interaction with customers and colleagues, and I think the best results are usually achieved when the cooperation works smoothly. I handle patenting of inventions both in Finland and internationally, and in addition to prosecution of applications, I, among other things, also draft oppositions, freedom-to-operate analyses, and statements on the interpretation of patents.
I have been employed by Boco IP since 1998 and, after various tasks over the years, I nowadays mostly work with patent matters. Since 2017, I have represented Finland as a council member of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi) and as a Finnish member of the epi's Professional Conduct Committee (PCC).
Patrick Hjelt
As IT Manager I am responsible for the ICT operations and security of the company. I am interested in anything technical, and I have been developing the IT systems on a long-term basis in Boco for over 20 years. Except for a few years spent in the Finnish Defence Forces (first at the National Defence College and then at the Uusimaa Brigade), I have been employed by Boco since 1997.
Elina Heikkilä
I work primarily with trademarks and designs. I have years of global experience in IP protection proceedings, opposition, infringement and cancellation proceedings. I conduct availability and risk analyses, contractual matters, and IP strategy planning. Every IP-workday is fascinating! My previous work experience is from the Supreme Administrative Court, the Finnish Patent Office, and from a patent agency. I am authorized to represent clients at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) and Finnish courts. I have worked at Boco since 2011.
Thomas Carlsson
I specialize in small devices and complex systems: micro- and nanotechnology, semiconductors, photonics, measurement technology, medical devices, solar energy, electrochemistry and the Internet of Things are some of areas of expertise. I also do lots of freedom-to-operate studies and novelty searches. I previously worked for the Finnish Patent Office where I evaluated 500 patent applications. I have written about a hundred applications as a patent attorney. My book Good Patent Applications (Boco IP, 2021) is based on this experience. In this book I present the building blocks of a good application. The principles of this book are put into practice in my daily work. I’m also happy to give training in patent matters to clients, students and patent experts. I’ve been employed by Boco IP since 2016.
Blog writings
Marjukka Hausalo
I work as a finance and HR manager at Boco and I am also a partner. I am responsible for all financial matters, accounting, ledgers, payroll, payment transactions and insurance. In addition, I handle recruitment and personnel matters. I have been employed by Boco IP since 2006.
Sini-Maaria Mikkilä
I am happy to help with all kinds of IP matters, and especially with technical inventions, their protection by patents and utility models in Europe and internationally, and with matters related to defending IP rights, such as oppositions, appeals and infringement matters. I have worked as a patent attorney since 2008 and during the time I have helped to protect and defend a wide variety of inventions, but I am most experienced in protecting inventions related to machines and equipment and hydraulic, electrical and software control thereof, as well as components and geometries. I am also interested in hydraulics, measurements, automatic detection, and different types of sensor applications as well as user interfaces and energy technology applications.
I really like the versatility of patent attorney's work. In addition to patent prosecution, I am happy to advise clients on IP issues, such as planning IP and protection strategies, and employment invention matters. I find it interesting to analyse similarities and differences between solutions, and I like preparing expert opinions related to scope of protection and suspected patent infringement cases, for example. I also conduct novelty and technology searches. It is also important for me to increase IP awareness and, therefore, I also like to organize IP trainings and IP workshops.
I would like to encourage you to contact me especially if you work within an industry like industrial machinery or equipment, mobile machinery, automotive industry, mining, consumer products, paper and forestry, public services, freight and logistics, health technology, measuring equipment and technology, renewable energy, or telecommunications. However, please feel free to contact me in any other IP matters, as I am always happy to help you to find the best expert on any matter, whether it is me or someone else.
I started at Boco IP in 2021 opening our Tampere office, but I help clients all over Finland and abroad, in Finnish, English and Swedish. Besides IPR matters, I also have an extensive experience in developing and deploying processes and information system tools.
Karri Leskinen
Welcome to my page! How can I help?
I work at Boco IP as both CEO and patent attorney. As CEO, I want to help my colleagues succeed in their jobs and create a corporate culture where it is great to work. In my role as a patent attorney, I’m active in designing and implementing of clients' IPR strategies. With regard to assignments, I have focused especially on the handling of opposition cases in Finland and at the European Patent Office. I’m easily enthusiastic about everything related to the IP and I am happy to share this enthusiasm by lecturing and training new people in the IP field. In addition, I act as an expert in patent litigations, draft opinions and advise on patent law matters. I started at Boco IP in 2005, but I have been in the patent attorney since 1999. Feel free to contact me and let's talk more.
Boco IP cares about people and the environment
The goal of Boco IP’s environmental program is to reduce the consumption of natural resources by developing the eco-efficiency of the office. For the patent office, our biggest environmental impacts typically come from paper and electricity consumption. We are committed to significantly reducing these environmental impacts in our operations, and paper consumption, for example, has been declining year by year as the office has gradually become electronic. In addition, with an employee travel ticket, we encourage our staff to use public transportation, and our travel policy always encourages us to favor an environmentally friendly option. To reduce electricity consumption, our office lighting is automated to turn off in the evening. Environmental thinking is reflected in all our operations, even in small choices, such as sorting waste for recycling. The mindset of sustainable development has come to stay. Vigilant companies see hidden business opportunities in products and services that promote environmental well-being. People generally see sustainable development as an alternative to a disposable culture. An essential element of sustainable development is the management of own resources combined with long-term, determined operations. Green thinking fits well into the world of intellectual property rights. When protecting a company’s capital, operations must have the desired direction and be continuous. Things and values that are perceived to be sustainable remain regardless of the circumstances.