Hanna-Maija Elo

Partner, Attorney-at-Law, trained on the bench, trademark attorney

+358 40 561 4961

Please contact Hanna-Maija for assistance in the following and other areas

  • suspected infringement of your trademark, design right or copyright
  • when you wish to get the help from the customs to supervise your intellectual property rights by filing a customs application, or when the customs officials have sized a product consignment on suspicion of infringing your rights
  • when seeking to verify the legality of your marketing or to stop the unfair practices of a competitor
  • assistance with various co-operation agreements, such as franchising, distribution, non-disclosure or licencing agreements

Hanna-Maija has been working as an Attorney-at-Law for over 25 years, specialising in protecting and defending intellectual property rights, and managing various co-operation agreements and marketing law issues.

Hanna-Maija is particularly dedicated to conducting various disputes related to trademarks, design rights, copyright and marketing. While such disputes are often amicably settled by correspondence, Hanna-Maija is also very familiar with conducting various opposition and appeal procedures, customs seizures and litigations. Agreements are important instruments for preventing disputes, and Hanna-Maija often assists in drafting a wide range of agreements on such issues as franchising, distribution, non-disclosure or licencing. She also assists in issues relating to marketing and data protection.

International ranking lists have for years recognized Hanna-Maija very high among the best IPR lawyers in Finland.

Career

Properta Attorneys Ltd, Partner 2017–
Eversheds Attorneys Ltd. (formerly Juridia Bützow and Juridia), Partner 2008–2016
Heinonen & Co Oy, Attorneys-at-Law, Ltd., Partner 1998–2016
Keijo Heinonen Oy, Associate 1996–1998
District Court of Tuusula, Judicial trainee and assistant judge 1995–1996
Neste Oy, Assisting Legal Counsel 1994–1995

Education and training

Authorised trademark attorney, 2014
Attorney-at-Law, 1998
Trained on the bench, District Court of Tuusula, 1996
Master of Laws, University of Helsinki, 1994

Languages

Finnish, English, Swedish, German and Italian

Latest rankings

Who’s Who Legal 2024: Recommended

WTR Global Leaders: Private Practice: 2024

Managing IP, IP Stars: Trade mark star 2024

Managing IP, IP Stars: Top 250 Women in IP 2024

The Legal 500 EMEA, 2024, Leading Individual:

  • Hanna-Maija Elo has provided us with straight forward legal advice on all kinds of intellectual property issues. Service level is excellent and industry knowledge as well. Our matters have been handled with the utmost professionalism. In depth knowledge of these matters have been apparent and obvious and that is why we have stayed with Hanna-Maija Elo.
  • Hanna-Maija Elo has a broad and deep knowledge in the area of intellectual property rights. She has always been able to provide correct and liable opinions and advice on all matters pertaining to this area. She is an excellent negotiator and skilled lawyer in matters of intellectual property disputes. Would recommend warmly.

Chambers Global and Europe 2024 , 2024, Band 1:

  • “Hanna-Maija Elo is fast and very reliable. She always has an opinion and she is very effective. She is well regarded in the industry.”

World Trademark Review, WTR 1000, 2024, Gold category / Recommended – Individuals: Anti-Counterfeiting and Transactions

WTR Global Leaders 2023

Who’s Who Legal: IP – Trademarks 2023: Recommended

Who’s Who Legal: Franchising 2023: Recommended

Managing IP EMEA Awards 2023, Shortlist: Practitioner of the Year

Managing IP, IP Stars: Trade mark star 2023

Managing IP, IP Stars: Top 250 Women in IP 2023

The Legal 500 EMEA, 2023, Leading Individual:

  • ‘Hanna-Maija Elo is a highly pragmatic and very experienced and trusted IP lawyer.’

Chambers Europe and Global 2023 , 2023, Band 1:

  • Hanna-Maija Elo is a well-recognised practitioner who regularly advises clients on trade mark enforcement and prosecution mandates. She also stands out for acting on copyright and trade and domain name disputes, as well as the intellectual property aspects of licensing agreements.“She has always been able to provide correct and viable opinions and advice. She is an excellent negotiator and a skilled lawyer, and I recommend her warmly”.
  • “Hanna-Maija Elo has a broad and deep knowledge in the area of intellectual property rights.”
  • “She is an extremely talented lawyer.”

World Trademark Review, WTR 1000, 2023, Gold category:

  • “Driving the group forward are Hanna-Maija Elo and Kukka Tommila, who are quick to get to grips with challenging brand matters. The duo showcase their deep-know when representing clients before the ECJ and EU General Court and have an impressive ability to simplify knotty situations. On the non-contentious side, Elo and Tommila have recently teamed up to assist Rapala, a global market leader in fishing equipment, in handling its trademark and design matters worldwide, consisting of filing over 1,000 registrations globally.”

The Legal 500 EMEA, 2022, Leading Individual:

  • “Hanna-Maija Elo has provided us with straightforward legal advice on all kinds of intellectual property issues. Service level is excellent and industry knowledge as well. All matters handled have had the outcome we have expected. Hanna-Maija Elo has a broad and deep knowledge in the area of intellectual property rights. She has always been able to provide correct and liable opinions and advice on all matters pertaining to this area. She is an excellent negotiator and skilled lawyer in matters of intellectual property disputes. Would recommend warmly.”

Chambers and Partners Global, 2022, Band 1:

  • “Hanna-Maija Elo is a well-recognised practitioner who regularly advises clients on trade mark issues, as well as on copyright and design right matters. “Hanna-Maija Elo has always been able to provide correct and reliable opinions and advice on all matters pertaining to this area. She is an excellent negotiator and skilled lawyer in matters of intellectual property disputes,” reports one client.”

World Trademark Review, WTR 1000, 2022, Gold category

WTR Global Leaders: Private Practice, 2022

Managing IP, IP Stars: Trademark star 2022

Who’s Who Legal Trademarks: Global Leader, 2022

Chambers Global and Chambers Europe, 2021, Band 1

Legal500, 2021, Leading Individual

World Trademark Review, WTR1000, 2021, Individuals: gold and Individuals: anti-counterfeiting:

World Trademark Review, WTR Global Leaders: Private practice, 2021
Managing Intellectual Property, IP Stars, Trade mark star, 2021 and The Top 250 Women in IP, 2021
Who’s Who Legal Trademarks: Global Leaders, 2020
Who’s Who Legal Franchise: Global Leaders, 2020

Memberships

Finnish Bar Association
Finnish Association for Industrial Property Rights
Finnish Fashion Law Association
Finnish Anti-Counterfeiting Group
Finnish AIPPI Group
International Trademark Association (INTA)

 

Fiduciary positions

The Finnish Association for Industrial Property Rights (STY), Member of the board 2023-
EuroFranchise Lawyers Group, Member for Finland, 2017–
Member of the board of Finnish AIPPI Group 2014–2019
Finnish AIPPI Group: member of the Standing Committee on Piracy and Counterfeiting 2015–2023
Member of the Anti-Counterfeiting EU-subcommittee of the International Trademark Association, 2008–2011 and 2014–2017
Member of the intellectual property rights specialist group of the Finnish Bar Association 2008–2013
Finnish Anti-Counterfeiting Group: Chairman 2002–2005, 2007–2009 and 2018–2021, Secretary 1998–2000, Member of the board 2002–2005, 2007–2010 and 2017–2021
Member of the Finnish Direct Marketing Association Fair Play group 2002–2003
Member of the Legal Division of the Finnish Marketing Association 1997–1999 and 2003

Publications

Lauer / Pratt (ed.) 2017: Fundamentals of Franchising Europe. Section on Finland.
Wormald & Abell (ed.) 2011: Alternative corporate re-engineering / Building businesses through third party relationships and expansion into new markets. Section on Finland.
Zeidman (ed.) 2007–2010: Getting the Deal Through Franchise. Sections on Finland.
Nicholson, Sinder (ed.) 2008–2010: Getting the Deal Through Trademarks. Sections on Finland.
MPI for Intellectual Property 2006: Gemeinschaftsmarke und Recht der Mitgliedstaaten (“Collective mark and right of the Member States”). Section on Finland.
Harriss-Newiss (ed.) 1997–2016: International Intellectual Property Litigation. Sections on Finland.
INTA (ed.) Enforcement: An International Litigation Guide, 2016 – 2018. Sections on Finland.
Articles in Finnish and foreign publications.