Outi Virtaharju
I work as a patent attorney at Genip Oy, mainly at my home office in Kuopio. I am qualified to represent clients at the European Patent Office (EPO), the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Unified Patent Court (UPC). I have a degree of Master of Science (MSc), with biotechnology and chemistry as my main subjects (University of Kuopio 1997).
Since the beginning of the millennium, I have worked as a patent attorney in various private practice companies, most recently at Berggren Oy. I have also worked as a patent engineer in the enzyme industry. During these years, I experienced industrial property rights as an integral part of a company’s daily business, and this understanding has formed the core of my professional thinking.
I have conducted studies and protected inventions related to, among other things, wood, paper and water chemistry; environmental applications and analytics, as well as circular economy; biotechnology, personalized medicine, clinical diagnostics, pharmaceuticals; food chemistry and processes, cosmetics, and textiles.
My work is based on the client’s business and supporting it. I am used to discussing the protection needs and the financial significance of potential protection for the business with our clients. There is usually no reason for protecting everything, and I can support the client in this assessment.