From Downtown to Aviapolis
Published 17.6.2009
The 40 first years of the Heinänen Patent Agency rolled by at Annankatu, in downtown Helsinki. Early this year the time was due for a move to the “countryside”, as the managing director Pekka Heinänen puts it, with a laugh – to brand new, spacious premises in the Aviapolis area in Vantaa.”Thoroughness is a virtue of a patent attorney; we weighed in depth up the pluses and minuses of this move,” states Pekka Heinänen. “Finally, following several phases, we all became convinced that Business Park Airport Plaza and its new Largo building offered us the most adequate facilities. Advantages are nearness of the airport, state-of-the-art housing technology, functional telecommunications and a top-notch access control system”.
”When I joined the company, there was a remarkable advantage of working downtown,” recalls Riitta Tirkkonen-Walkila, the trademark attorney at Heinänen. “We actually had to take all new patent applications ourselves to the National Board of Patents and Registration, situated on nearby Bulevardi. Nowadays it really is more important to be near the airport and the client companies, as business with the patent authorities are done practically solely electronically”.
”Besides that, surprisingly many of our customers are located in Vantaa, in the vicinity of the airport,” observes Pekka Heinänen. “This Aviapolis area is for that matter a fast growing and dynamic hub of businesses. As far as we know, we are the only patent agents in Vantaa – that might open interesting perspectives, as well”.
August 1969
First man has just sat his foot on the moon in 1969, when Pekka Heinänen´s father, Antti Heinänen, established a patent agency of his own. He was partnering with Jukka Lähtönen, a research engineer at the national patent board. Antti Heinänen himself was a very experienced patent attorney at the Leitzinger agency. Lähtönen soon left for another position, and the company changed its name to Heinänen Oy.
”The company had been in business for barely one year when I took employment here, straight out from the commercial college,” remembers Riitta Tirkkonen-Walkila. “We were just four coworkers; all patent issues became familiar. My job was the secretary of patents and trademarks, handling also payables and receivables, as well as other various office duties. Also officials´ visits were included in my job description”.
”Everything was different at that time. We didn´t have copiers or faxes, computers were probably used only in space projects. Dictaphones represented high-tech. Secretaries used normal typewriters for writing transcripts, copies were made by the help of several carbon papers”.
Riitta m/70, Pekka m/84
The address of the Heinänen agency was Annankatu 31-33 C all the time it was located downtown. With the increasing number of coworkers the agency kept on moving to more spacious facilities. At the present time the Heinänen agency employs 14 people.
”Besides Riitta, who started with the company in spring 1970, several of our coworkers have been with us for quite a long time - a fact revealing something of our company culture,” tells Pekka Heinänen. “I joined the agency as a permanent employee already 1984. Before that I had worked here as a summer help.”
”However, we are continuously renewing ourselves. I´m exceptionally happy with the fact that we, despite this present economical situation, have been able to hire new patent attorneys, Pekka Laakso a couple of years ago, and Jussi Nervola, joining us just before midsummer this year.”
Pekka Heinänen grew up in Vuosaari, just outside downtown Helsinki, and lives now in the Hyrylä village in Tuusula, not far from the office. He is the father of two children, a keen sports fan, who likes his dogs, travelling, reading and jigsaw puzzles. As a young polytech student he worked with the Helsinki energy company, designing district heating systems and supervising the installation of them. After this the young man was carried away by the fascinating world of patents.
Riitta Tirkkonen-Walkila, born in Vartiokylä, now the mother of an adult son, has been living in the Kontula suburb all her grown-up life. As a counterbalance to the demanding trademark tasks, in her leisure Riitta likes travelling, reading good books, visiting cinemas, theaters and concerts. Also walking, gymnastics and swimming are activities on her agenda, as well as motor biking – an interest she shares with her husband since a few years.
Through the deep waters to victory
The agency faced some difficult times in the late 80´ies. The working capacities of the founder, Antti Heinänen, as well as Hely Lundmark, another mainstay of the early times, were faltering due to health problems. Concurrent with this, a few other key persons decided to face new challenges.
”As a matter of fact, besides my father and I, the only attorney left was Pertti Järveläinen”, explains Pekka Heinänen. “And my father was about to retire. Luckily enough, we managed to hire Terho Laine and Juhani Vastavuo, two extremely talented patent attorneys – and they still work here. 2009 is a jubilee year for Terho and Juhani, both have been 20 years with us”.
”The previous big recession was in the early 90´ies; fortunately our customer relations were already solid at that time, withstanding all violent changes. We coped thanks to good cooperation and hard work, everything went off smoothly”.
Pekka Heinänen was appointed managing director in 1990. “Although a major part of my time is taken by administrative tasks, I´m trying to do as much actual patent attorney job as possible – I really do like it”.
A versatile clientele
The employees are very happy with the agency, and this applies to the clients as well. There are several companies in the clientele, who have been partnering with the Heinänen agency since the very beginning – 40 years in fact. A considerable achievement in these days of quartile economy.
”Our clientele has been extremely versatile since the first days – ranging from private persons to small, middle-sized and big companies,” says Riitta Tirkkonen-Walkila. “Since the very beginning we have worked internationally, trademark and patent applications have been filed in many countries”.
”Obviously the activities weren´t as international as they are today. Back in the 70´ies, big companies could, however, file applications all over the world. Even in quite exotic countries, as a matter of fact”.
The EU and the European patents
In 1996 Finland joined the European Patent Convention. Since then, patents can be granted as European patents, covering all the member states. “This created a temporary decrease in the number of assignments from countries outside Finland”, says Pekka Heinänen. “However, they were compensated by validations of European patents in Finland”.
”We Finns, living here in the outskirts of Europe, might feel a bit worried in case the patent activities would be concentrated in the big countries of Central Europe”, says Pekka Heinänen and seems to be somewhat puzzled. “There is a plan pending regarding affiliation to the London Agreement after which a granted European patent could be enforced even in Finland without the need of translating the complete text into Finnish. Foreign applicants could have their patents granted in Finland with less expenses – and this is necessarily not the in the interest of the Finnish industry”.
Both Pekka Heinänen and Riitta Tirkkonen-Walkila emphasize that the Heinänen agency possesses the know-how of an extensive range of technologies. The attorneys have a solid experience and a current view of a variety of patent and trademark issues.
”We train our employees on a regular base. Laws, regulations and directives are changing by the week”, says Riitta Tirkkonen-Walkila. “Internationalization has increased widely, particularly because of the European Union. This is why we continuously have to follow up the development in this field and try to keep track of the changes in the business and the transient world. It´s in the interest of our clients”.
And what about the next 40 years?
”Obviously we can´t see that far; even the foreseeable future can create surprises, like this prevailing recession,” says Pekka Heinänen, with a slight smile. “To be honest, the recession hasn´t actually affected our activities, as indicated by the need of hiring new capacity”.
”Patent applications are long-lasting processes and require perpetual actions. And our clients don´t want to suspend them too easily because of economic fluctuations. On the other hand, a recession is an extraordinary good time for product development in order to have new or improved products in trim when a new upturn is at hand”!
Pekka Heinänen goes along with Riitta Tirkkonen-Walkila regarding the future of the Heinänen agency. The objective is to carry on with the already well-trodden dynamic line. In practice, this means flexible operations; the job is done in a quick schedule and always on the client´s terms.
”I´m sure there is a future for the patent field,” Pekka Heinänen is summarizing. “Personally I believe we will keep on serving our clientele in a productive way – reliably, flexibly and effectively. The Heinänen agency can trustfully look into the next decades.”
