WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE  
ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO 
IP/N/1/FIN/E/2 
16 February 2012 
 (12-0879) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English/ 
 anglais/  inglés 
 
  
MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 
LAWS AND REGULATIONS NOTIFIED UNDER 
ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE AGREEMENT 
 
FINLAND 
  The present document reproduces the text
1 of Chapter 49 of the Penal Code of Finland, as 
notified by Finland on 10 February 2011 unde r Article 63.2 of the Agreement (see 
document IP/N/1/FIN/3). 
 
 Conseil des aspects des droits de propriété 
intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce  
 
 
PRINCIPALES LOIS ET RÉGLEMENTATIONS CONSACRÉES À LA 
PROPRIÉTÉ INTELLECTUELLE NOTIFIÉES AU TITRE 
DE L'ARTICLE 63:2 DE L'ACCORD 
 
FINLANDE 
  Le présent document contient le texte
1 du chapitre 49 du Code pénal finlandais, notifié par la 
Finlande le 10 février 2011 au titre de l'article 63:2 de l'Accord (voir le document IP/N/1/FIN/3). 
 
 Consejo de los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio  
 
 
PRINCIPALES LEYES Y REGLAMENTOS DEDICADOS A LA PROPIEDAD 
INTELECTUAL NOTIFICADOS EN VIRTUD DEL PÁRRAFO 2 
DEL ARTÍCULO 63 DEL ACUERDO 
 
FINLANDIA 
 
 En el presente documento se reproduce el texto
1 del capítulo 49 del Código Penal de 
Finlandia, notificado por Finlandia el 10 de febrer o de 2011 en virtud del pá rrafo 2 del artículo 63 del 
Acuerdo (véase el documento IP/N/1/FIN/3). 
                                                      
1 In English only./En anglais seulement./En inglés solamente.   
   IP/N/1/FIN/E/2 
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MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS 
AND REGULATIONS 
(in English) 
   
Unofficial translations 
 
 
  
PROTECTION OF UNDISCLOSED INFORMATION 
 
 
Related legal instruments 
 
    
   IP/N/1/FIN/E/2 
 Page 5 
 
 
  THE PENAL CODE OF FINLAND 
 (Unofficial translation)  
Amendments up to (22.12.2009/1281)  included 
 CHAPTER 49  
Violation of certain intellectual property rights (21.4.1995/578) 
 
Section 1 (14.10.2005/822) 
Copyright offence 
 
(1) A person who for the purpose of gain and in vi olation of the Copyright Act (404/1961) and in a 
manner conducive to causing considerable detriment or  damage to the rightholder, breaches the right 
of another to 
 
 1. a literary or artistic work;  2. a performance of a literary or artistic work, or folklore;   3. a phonograph record or any other device on which sound has been recorded;  4. a film or any other device on which moving images have been recorded;  5. a radio or television transmission; 
6. a catalogue, table, programme or any other pr oduction, referred to in the Copyright Act, in 
which a large number of information items are compiled, or a database which shows that there has been a substantial investment in eith er the obtaining, verification or presentation of 
the contents of that database; or  7. a photographic picture shall be sentenced for a copyright offence  to a fine or to 
imprisonment for at most two years. 
 (2) A person shall also be sentenced for a copyrigh t offence if he for the purpose of gain and in a 
manner conducive to causing consider able detriment or damage to the rightholder, imports for 
distribution to the public or to the territory of Fi nland to be transported onward to a third country a 
copy of a work or photographic picture, a phonograph record, film, or any other device on which 
sound or moving images have been recorded, or  a catalogue, table, programme or any other 
production, in which a large number of informati on items are compiled, or a database which shows 
that there has been a substantial investment in e ither the obtaining, verification or presentation of the 
contents of that database, as referred to in sub section 1 and manufactured or reproduced outside the 
country, while knowing that it has been reprodu ced in circumstances under which said reproduction 
would in Finland be punishab le under subsection 1 or section 56a of the Copyright Act. 
 (3) A person who in an information network or by  means of a data system breaches the right of 
another to protected items referred to in subsec tion 1 in a manner conducive to causing considerable 
detriment or damage to the rightholder, shall also be sentenced for a copyright offence. 
 
Section 2 - Intellectual property offence  (1281/2009) 
 A person who in violation of the Trademark Act (7 /1964), the Patents Act (550/1967), the Registered 
Designs Act (221/1971), the Act on the Protecti on of Semiconductor Topographies (32/1991), the 
Utility Models Act (800/1991) or the Plant Va riety Rights Act (1279/2009) and in a manner 
conducive to causing considerable financial loss to a person holding a right, breaches 
 
(1) the right to a trademark, (2) the exclusive right conferred by a patent, (3) the right to a registered design, IP/N/1/FIN/E/2 
Page 6  
 
  (4) the right to a semiconductor topography, 
(5) the right to a utility model, or (6) a plant variety right  
shall be sentenced for an intellectual property offence  to a fine or to imprisonment for at most two 
years. 
 Section 3  (14.10. 2005/822) 
Circumvention of a technological measure  
 A person who in violation of the prohibition in section 50a of the Copyright Act and in a manner 
conducive to causing considerable detriment or da mage circumvents an effective technological 
measure protecting a work, shall be sentenced for circumvention of a technological measure  to a fine 
or to imprisonment for at most one year.   
Section 4  (14.10.2005/822) 
Offence of a device for circumventing a technological measure 
 
A person who in violation of the prohibition in section 50b of the Copyright Act and in a manner 
conducive to causing considerable detriment or da mage produces or imports for distribution to the 
public, distributes to the public, sells, rents, adver tises for sale or rental, or holds in possession for 
commercial purposes devices, products or components enabling or facilitating the circumvention of an 
effective technological measure, or offers services  enabling or facilitating the circumvention of an 
effective technological measure, shall be sentenced for an offence of a device for circumventing a 
technological measure  to a fine or to imprisonment for at most one year.  
 
Section 5  (14.10.2005/822) 
Offence of electronic rights management information  
 
A person who in violation of the prohibition in section 50d of the Copyright Act and in a manner 
conducive to causing considerable detriment or damage  
1. removes or alters electronic rights manageme nt information that identifies the work, its 
author or some other rightholder or that provides information about the terms governing the use of the work, or  2. distributes to the public or imports for distribution to the public a copy of a work, or 
communicates to the public a work, in a form in which the electronic management 
information has been removed from the work or altered without authorisation, 
 shall be sentenced for an offence of electronic rights management information  to a fine or to 
imprisonment for at most one year if the offender is  aware that his actions cause, enable, conceal or 
facilitate violation of rights referred to in the Copyright Act.  
 
Section 6  (14.10.2005/822) 
Right to bring charges  
 
The public prosecutor may not bring charges for offe nces referred to in sections 1–3 and 5 of this 
chapter, unless the complainant reports an offenc e to be brought for charges or unless a very 
important public interest requires that charges be brought.    IP/N/1/FIN/E/2 
 Page 7 
 
 
  Section 7  (11.5.2007/540)  
Criminal liability of a legal person 
 
The provisions laid down on criminal liability of  a legal person apply to a copyright offence. 
 Coming into force and application of the amendments: 
 
August 21, 1995 / 1010  (Published August 22, 1995) 
 This Act shall come into force on September 1, 1995.  
 
April 3, 1998 / 251  (Published April 9, 1998) 
This Act shall come into force on April 15, 1998.   October 14, 2005 / 822  (Published October 20, 2005) 
This Act shall come into force on January 1, 2006.  
 
May 11, 2007 / 540  (Published May 16, 2007) 
This Act shall come into force on September 1, 2007.  
 
December 22, 2009  / 1281 
This Act shall come into force on January 1, 2010.  
  
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