Intellectual Property in Estonia

Updated on Saturday 04th March 2023

Intellectual property in Estonia is protected by the national legislation but also by many international treaties. Among the national legislation protecting intellectual property in Estonia there are the Patents Act, the Utility Models Act, the Trade Marks Act, the Industrial Design Protection Act and the Geographical Indication Protection Act. As an EU member state, Estonia is also part of the Convention on Grant of European Patents Act.

As the intellectual property legislation evolves, Estonia has also signed major international treaties. Among these the latest are the Trade Mark Law Treaty and the Geneva Act for the protection of Industrial Designs in 2003, the Patent Law Treaty in 2005 and in 2009 Estonia signed the Singapore Treaty for the protection of trademark. Estonia is also part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Copyright protection in Estonia

The most notable document protecting intellectual property in Estonia is the Copyright Act, which grants authors with protection for their intellectual creations. Copyright protection in Estonia also enabled authors to benefit from moral and economic rights. Moral rights cannot be transferred, while the economic rights can be transferred for an amount of money or for free. Copyrights in Estonia are protected for the whole author’s life and seventy years after his or her passing.

Trademark protection in Estonia

Any graphical sign employed to differentiate a product or a service from other similar signs that was registered as a trademark will be protected by the Estonian Trade Marks Act. According to the Trade Marks Act there are several types of trademarks in Estonia:

the word mark which is a one or more letters, a word or a combination of words; slogans are also considered trademarks in Estonia;
the combined mark is a combination of words, letters or numbers with figurative items;
the figurative mark is a figurative item with no letters, words or numbers,
the three-dimensional mark is a 3-D representation used as a distinctive element for a product or service;
the sound mark is employed as a musical signature;
collective and guarantee marks are considered special types of trademarks in Estonia.

The Estonian Patent Office

The Patent Office in Estonia is part of the government falling under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice. It mainly deals with the implementation of the legislation regarding the protection of industrial property. The Patent Office confers protection to trademarks, utility models, patents, geographical indications and industrial designs. The Estonian Patent Office is also in charge with maintaining the records of industrial property and the issuance of documents related to industrial property.

Our law firm in Estonia can provide detailed information about the registration of intellectual property. You can also contact our Estonian lawyers for details about company registration.

If you are interested in immigration matters, such as residency or citizenship in Estonia, our team can also answer questions with this topic. If you want to relocate to Estonia and already have a business with IP rights here, or if this is your first step, our team can answer your questions and help you prepare your application. You can reach out to us as needed.

Our lawyers assist clients with a wide range of services, for both companies and individuals. You can also reach out to us if you have questions about immigration to Estonia, applying for temporary residence permits, and applying for the right of permanent residence, after five successive years of lawful stay. If you have other questions about relevant laws in the country, please send us your inquiries.