Vilhelm advises domestic and international clients in commercial disputes with a particular focus on intellectual property matters. He has worked as a private practitioner for well over a decade and has litigated before the lower Finnish general courts, appellate courts, administrative courts, the Market Court, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Unified Patent Court (Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal), and arbitral tribunals. He has represented clients from a wide range of industries, such as life sciences, telecommunications, IT, food & beverage, sports, paper & pulp, oil & gas, media, gambling, video gaming, insurance, and the financial sector.

Rankings

  • Leading Associate, Intellectual Property, Legal 500, 2025
  • Bronze – Individuals: WTR 1000: The World's Leading Trademark Professionals, 2025
  • Silver - Individuals: litigation, IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals, 2024
  • Rising Star, Intellectual Property, Legal 500, 2023-2024
  • Bronze - Individuals: litigation, IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals, 2022-2023
  • Notable Practitioner, Managing IP, 2020-2024
  • Rising Star, Managing IP, 2019

Memberships and Positions of Trust

  • Member of the Expert Group on Intellectual Property Law of the Finnish Bar Association
  • Member of the European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW)
  • Member of the International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property (ATRIP)
  • Member of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
  • Member of the Finnish Bar Association
  • Member of the Finnish Association for Industrial Property Rights (STY)
  • Member of the Law Society in Finland
  • Member of the Munich IP Dispute Resolution Forum

Professional Background

  • Counsel, Hannes Snellman, 2022–
  • Lindfors & Co Attorneys, 2020–2021
  • Trained on the Bench, District Court of Itä-Uusimaa, 2013–2014
  • Roschier Attorneys, 2010–2020
  • Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications, 2010

Education

  • LL.D., University of Helsinki, 2022
  • LL.M., Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, 2016
  • Master of Laws, University of Helsinki, 2010

Publications

  • "Provisional Measures in Trade Secret Disputes (Fi:Väliaikaiset oikeussuojakeinot liikesalaisuusasioissa)", Edilex, 7 June 2024
  • “Trade Secrets Throughout the World”, Finnish Chapter, Edition 2023/2024 (co-author)
  • "The protection of copyright and the right to privacy – two incompatible rights?", Nordiskt Immateriellt Rättsskydd (NIR), Issue 2, 2023
  • “Lectio Praecursoria” (Introductory lecture at the public examination of doctoral dissertation), Tidskrift utgiven av juridiska föreningen (JFT), Issue 1, 2023
  • “Trade Secrets in European Patent Litigation” (Doctoral Dissertation), Unigrafia, 2022
  • “Obtaining Evidence in Patent Litigation and Trade Secret Protection – A Tale of Two Poles”, GRUR International, April Issue, 2021 (co-author)
  • “The protection of trade secrets in the Nordic countries" Nordiskt Immateriellt Rättsskydd (NIR), Issue 4, 2018 (co-author)
  • “Transformation from a Patchwork Quilt to a Unified Fabric: Discussion on a Few Particular Aspects of the New Finnish Trade Secrets Act and the EU Trade Secrets Directive", Nordiskt Immateriellt Rättsskydd (NIR), Issue 4, 2018
  • “Legislative Update: Implementation of the Trade Secrets Directive – A New Trade Secrets Act Proposed in Finland”, Liikejuridiikka, Issue 1, 2018
  • “Reverse Burden of Proof and the Protection of Trade Secrets in European Pharmaceutical Patent Litigation”, Parts One and Two, European Intellectual Property Review (EIPR), Issues 4 and 5, 2017
  • “Pay-for-Delay Settlements in the EU: Did the Commission Go Too Far?”, European Intellectual Property Review (EIPR), Issue 12, 2016, and European Competition Law Review (ECLR), Issue 12, 2016
  • “Can “External” Bilateral Competition Law Provisions Have an Interpretative Effect Within the Framework of the WTO Dispute Settlement System?”, European Competition Law Review (ECLR), Issue 9, 2016

Speaking Engagements

  • "Securing of Evidence in IP Disputes", IPR Day (Fi: IPR-päivä), AIPPI Finland, STY and IPR University Center, 2025
  • "Data Act and Trade Secrets", webinar, IPR University Center, 2024
  • “Data Act, Trade Secrets and Dispute Resolution”, Hannes Snellman IP & Tech Horizons, 2024
  • “IPR-riidat – Liikesalaisuudet siviili- ja rikosprosessissa”, IPR University Center, 2024
  • “The Unified Patent Court – A Nordic Perspective”, Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, 2023
  • UPC Mock Trial at the Finnish Market Court (counsel for the Claimant), organized by the Finnish AIPPI Group and supported by the European Patent Office, 2023
  • “Trade Secrets in European Patent Litigation”, public examination of doctoral dissertation, University of Helsinki, 2022
  • "Protection of trade secrets during civil proceedings”, Delegate for the Finnish AIPPI Group for the Study Question, AIPPI World Conference (San Francisco, US), 2022
  • ”Skyddet av upphovsrätten och rätten till skydd för privatlivet – två oförenliga rättigheter?”, referent, Nordiska Juristmötet (Reykjavik), 2022
  • "Unified Patent Court", seminar, IPR University Center, 2022
  • “Finnish, European and International Perspectives”, webinar on “Damages in IP Law”, IPR University Center, 2022
  • “Standard Essential Patents in China”, moderator of online seminar, IPR University Center, 2022
  • ”Riita-asiat ja IPR”, immateriaalioikeuden käytännön kurssi, Helsingin yliopisto, 2022, 2023
  • “Patenträttegångar”, gästföreläsare på kursen ”Immaterialrättens specialfrågor”, Helsingfors universitet, 2022
  • “Copyright and design issues in video gaming”, moderator of panel, AIPPI World Congress, 2021
  • “Liikesalaisuuksien muuttunut suoja ja sen käytännön merkitys”, IPR-riidat ja sopimustekniikka, Alma Talent/Lakimiesliiton koulutus, 2020
  • “Dialogue of Experts: Trade Secrets in a Time of Pandemic”, online seminar with Prof. Sharon Sandeen (U.S.), IPR University Center, 2020
  • “Trade Secrets in Patent Litigation – A Mock Trial”, Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, 2020
  • “Salassapito oikeudenkäynnissä”, Market Court/IPR University Center, 2019
  • “Trade Secrets in European Patent Litigation”, Nordic/German IPR Network Meeting, University of Bergen, 2019
  • “Patent Litigation – Enforcement & Strategies”, Hanken School of Economics, 2018
  • “Law, automation and smart grids”, comments to Prof. Petri Kuoppamäki's presentation, IPR University Center, 2018
  • “Hallintoprosessi – juridiikan perusteet – oikeudenkäynnit”, osa 2, IPR University Center, 2018
  • “Patenttiriidat”, Aalto University, 2018