17 March 2026: A new era in patent work for startups

I have been working in the field of patent and technical invention protection for almost 28 years. Last year I founded Väisänen IP Oy with the aim of building a modern patent agency that combines long practical experience with modern analysis methods.
In the past year, I have been working intensively on developing the use of artificial intelligence and large language models in patent work. As a result of this development work, we have introduced analysis methods that enable us to support start-ups, micro-enterprises, and SMEs in particular in their patent strategy.

  1. Improving the quality of patent applications before filing
    In many patent applications, the invention has been described in detail, but the claims still do not fully capture the technical essence of the invention.
    If this will be discovered only after the application has been filed, it can be very difficult or even impossible to correct the problem. European patent law in particular is very strict with regard to amendments of the application after filing.
    The analysis method we have developed allows us to examine the claims of a planned patent application before it is filed. The aim is to ensure that the key technical ideas of the invention are protected as well as possible.
  2. More effective analysis of preliminary decisions and reference publications
    The Patent Office usually issues its first preliminary opinion on patentability of an application within a few months. The preliminary opinion often cites several documents, which are used as the basis for assessing patentability.
    By utilizing analysis methods, we can systematically examine the technical content of the patent application in relation to the state of the art and identify possible new perspectives for justifying patentability. This can be particularly useful in situations where patentability appears difficult at first glance.
  3. Support in the technical analysis of patents
    The same analysis methods can also be used in the technical evaluation of patents, for example when examining the validity of a patent or technical differences in relation to other solutions.
    In such situations, the analysis tool can support expert evaluation and help identify key technical issues.
  4. Confidential analysis on our own infrastructure
    All machine-assisted analysis is performed in our own computing environment. We do not transfer our clients’ confidential material to cloud services for analysis without a separate agreement.
    This is particularly important when it comes to inventions that have not yet been made public or other sensitive technical information.
    An experienced patent attorney always evaluates the results of the analysis before they are used in client work.

The goal is stronger patent protection for SMEs
Large corporations already make extensive use of various analysis systems to support technical decision-making. Now, similar analysis capabilities can also be made available to small and medium sized enterprises.
The goal is simple: to help our clients obtain the strongest and most effective patent protection for their technology.
If your company has an invention that needs to be protected, or if your patent application has encountered challenges at the patent office, please contact us—we will discuss how we can help.

 

28 January 2026: EU SME Fund vouchers available again from next week

EU SME Fund vouchers for 2026 will be available for application starting from 2 February 2026. The support schemes are largely the same as in the previous year.

EU SME Fund vouchers

The EU SME Fund supports micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in protecting their intellectual property rights through the following vouchers:

Patents

National patent application

  • Voucher value: €1,000
    The EU covers 75% of official patent office fees
  • European patent application
    Voucher value: €2,500
    The EU covers 75% of official fees
    In addition, the voucher covers 50% of patent drafting costs up to €3,000

Trademarks

  • Trademark voucher
    Voucher value: €700

    • 75% of the costs for a national trademark or an EU trademark
    • 50% of the costs for international trademark protection

IP Scan

  • IP Scan voucher
    Voucher value: €1,800
    After reimbursement, the company’s own contribution is only €180
    The IP Scan voucher is available only in selected EU Member States.
    The IP Scan is carried out by an authorised expert.

Väisänen IP Oy services

Väisänen IP Oy assists its clients with:

  • EU SME Fund voucher applications
  • Voucher administration
  • Reimbursement applications

Our EU SME Fund services are provided free of charge to our clients.

We have assisted clients with EU SME Fund vouchers over several consecutive years, and many companies have used the scheme repeatedly as a reliable way to reduce IP-related costs.

Jaakko Väisänen is authorised by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) to prepare IP Scan reports.
He has prepared multiple PRH IP Scan reports for companies across different industries. Each report is reviewed in substance by business experts of the PRH, providing valuable and practical feedback to our clients.

EU SME Fund vouchers for Ukrainian companies

EU SME Fund vouchers are also available to Ukrainian micro-enterprises and SMEs, subject to the applicable eligibility criteria.

For Ukrainian companies, the available voucher types include:

  • Trademark voucher, covering trademark protection and design protection
  • European patent application voucher
    Voucher value: €2,500

Väisänen IP Oy provides EU SME Fund–related services also to Ukrainian clients, including voucher applications and reimbursement procedures, free of charge.

 

 

Year-end 2025/2026 – Reflections on our first year

2025 marked the first year of operations for Väisänen IP Oy. While the company is new, our partnership is well-established: Andrea and I have worked together since 2014. Our clients include both new engagements and long-standing relationships dating back to the early 2000s, spanning three decades.

Throughout the year, we have rebuilt our operations on a modern foundation. We migrated all records into a controlled digital environment and implemented advanced tools for deadline and fee monitoring. Our goal has not been automation for its own sake, but rather to create a predictable and reliable framework for managing IP matters while upholding professional responsibility.

Artificial intelligence is a daily tool for us, used to support analysis and research. Confidential, non-public materials are processed in our company-owned local high-performance computing (HPC) environment. This allows us to utilize large language models at full accuracy without transferring sensitive data to public cloud services. Expert judgment and final assessment always remain with us.

We would like to thank our clients for the trust placed in us during this inaugural year. We remain available on weekdays throughout the holiday season and look forward to 2026 with confidence.