TALLINN - The Patent Office has published the statistics of 2024, which show continued interest in protecting industrial property. The activity in protecting inventions is comparable to the previous year, and our applicants are also utilizing the possibilities of the European patent and the unitary patent. The number of trademark applications filed last year is the same as in 2023, while the number of registered designs has increased. As the government institution providing legal protection for industrial property in Estonia, the Patent Office continues to offer supportive and professional services to Estonian companies in protecting their creations. We advise entrepreneurs and inventors and raise public awareness about intellectual property to promote innovation, the economy, and foster collaboration between science and business, according to the official website of the Republic of Estonia Patent Office (EPA).
Patents
In 2024, applicants filed a total of 30 patent applications, of which 27 were from Estonian applicants (32 applications in 2023, with 24 from Estonian applicants). During the year, we granted 16 patents, 13 of which were to Estonian applicants (13 patents in 2023, including 12 to Estonian applicants). At the end of 2024, the total number of valid patents was 119, of which 96 belonged to Estonian applicants (117 valid patents in 2023). An overview of protected patents is published monthly in the Estonian Patent Gazette.
Utility Models
In 2024, 35 utility model registration applications were filed (39 in 2023). Estonian applicants filed 31 applications (36 in 2023). During the year, we registered 31 utility models, 23 of which belonged to Estonian applicants (32 in 2023, including 24 to Estonian applicants). At the end of 2024, there were 181 valid utility model registrations (200 in 2023). An overview of registered utility models is published monthly in the Estonian Utility Model Gazette.
European Patents
In 2024, 937 applications for the enforcement of European patents were filed with the Patent Office (938 in 2023). A total of 1,031 European patents were enforced (876 in 2023). An overview of European patents enforced in Estonia is published in the second section of the Estonian Patent Gazette every month.
Trademarks
In 2024, 1,181 trade mark registration applications were filed, of which 1,004 were from Estonian applicants. The number of applications was the same as in 2023 (1,181), with 1,018 of them belonging to Estonian individuals.
During the year, we registered 1,060 trademarks and enforced 647 international registrations (1,005 trademarks and 946 international registrations in 2023). An overview of registered trademarks is available in the bi-monthly Estonian Trade Mark Gazette. Each month, the Patent Office selects a "trade mark of the month" from the registered trademarks. The trademarks of the previous year included Ligipääsuke, Nöösker, Fotograatsia, Tallink's movement mark, Puristaja, Lumiorava, Möku, Rauataltsutajad, #harjuära, Hoog, Smuuv, and Aeg ubasteks hetkedeks.
At the end of 2024, there were 50,302 valid trademarks, of which 26,037 were national and 24,265 were international registrations (51,338 valid trade marks at the end of 2023).
Industrial Designs
In 2024, 20 industrial design registration applications were filed, 19 of which were from Estonian applicants (17 applications in 2023, all from Estonian applicants). Additionally, 22 international registrations were received (16 in 2023). In 2024, we registered 23 industrial designs and enforced 22 international registrations in Estonia (13 and 18 in 2023, respectively).
At the end of 2024, there were 722 valid industrial designs in the register (762 in 2023).