Castrén & Snellman has once again been ranked as one of the leading law firms in Finland in the 2026 edition of the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.
4.6.2026
Castrén & Snellman’s IP team receives gold rankings in the 2026 IAM Patent 1000
In the 2026 survey, our firm received top-tier gold rankings in patent litigation and patent transactions. According to the publication, ‘a powerhouse in the Finnish IP market, Castrén & Snellman fields one of the largest and most comprehensive teams in the country. The team is particularly strong in managing global portfolios, structuring complex commercial arrangements and advising on IP-intensive transactions, while maintaining a strong presence in high-profile, precedent-setting disputes.’
On the private practice side, our firm’s partner Sakari Salonen (Head of IP) and Senior Counsel Hanna Paloheimo (Head of Life Sciences) were ranked in the silver category in patent litigation, and IP & Tech Partner Kim Parviainen received a bronze ranking in the same category. All of them, along with our Tech Partner Topi Lusenius, were also recommended individuals in the patent transactions category.
Sakari was described to be ‘an asset for high-stakes litigation and transaction work’. According to the publication, Hanna ‘is a key adviser on patent litigation and regulatory matters in pharmaceuticals, food and health tech, as well as commercial agreements such as licensing and distribution, making her a trusted name in highly regulated sectors.’ Kim is praised for being ‘focused on disputes and regulatory matters at the intersection of IP, technology and data, bringing a strong grasp of both technical and commercial drivers.’ Topi ‘brings extensive experience in ICT and tech-driven deals, drawing on prior in-house experience to deliver pragmatic, business-oriented advice.’
The IAM Patent 1000 is a unique guide that identifies the top patent practitioners in the patent prosecution, transactions and litigation fields in key jurisdictions around the globe. Only individuals identified by market sources for their exceptional skill sets and profound insights into patent matters feature in the IAM Patent 1000. All IAM Patent 1000 rankings for Finland can be found here.
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We advise Korona Invest and the other shareholders of Innoflame Oy on the sale of Innoflame to Sponsor Capital. The transaction makes Sponsor Capital the new majority owner of Innoflame. Korona Invest has been a shareholder of Innoflame since 2021 and, together with the other selling shareholders, has over the past five years supported the company’s growth, development and several strategically significant corporate transactions, through which Innoflame has strengthened its position as Finland’s leading product media company. The ownership change is intended to support Innoflame’s next phase of growth, including its ambition to build a significant European product media company with the capability to expand rapidly into new markets. The transaction is conditional to the customary closing conditions such as authority approvals. Innoflame is one of Finland’s leading product media specialists, helping its clients build a unified brand experience by offering the design, sourcing and management of product media as a single integrated service. Korona Invest is a Finnish private equity firm founded in 2006, specialising in buyout and growth investments in domestic small and medium-sized enterprises. It makes both majority and minority investments, structuring each project to suit the company’s growth strategy.
Case published 27.8.2026
Marina Group – Acquisition of Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo
We advised Hopeasalmen Telakka Oy, part of Marina Group, on the acquisitions of Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo. The transactions form part of Marina Group’s expansion into the Finnish marina and boatyard sector, strengthening its position under the Quattro Marine brand. Following the acquisitions, Quattro Marine’s Finnish operations comprise Hopeasalmen Telakka, which operates boatyard facilities in Helsinki’s Mustikkamaa and in Tolkkinen, Porvoo, together with Iisiveneily and Porvoon Venekorjaamo. Marina Group is a Norwegian marina and boatyard consortium owned by the private equity sponsor Norvestor. It has grown rapidly through acquisitions to become the Nordic region’s largest boating services provider, having acquired 24 marinas and boatyards across Norway, Sweden and Finland within roughly a year.
Case published 24.8.2026
Neste – A EUR 250 million 10-year loan with NIB
We advised Neste as it signed a EUR 250 million 10-year loan with NIB. The loan will finance Neste’s investments related to research and development (R&D) in processing lower-quality feedstocks into high-quality renewable products; as well as the liquefied waste plastics (LWP) investment at Neste’s refinery in Porvoo, Finland. The R&D activities supported by the loan focus on the development of renewable solutions. These include, for example, expanding feedstock capabilities and technologies that enable the processing of new and lower-quality waste and residues into high-quality renewable end products. Part of the financing supports Neste’s liquefied waste plastics investment in Porvoo, related to upgrading low-quality plastic waste into high-quality feedstock at an industrial scale. The investment contributes to advancing circular economy solutions by enabling the use of hard-to-recycle plastic waste as a replacement for virgin fossil raw materials. The unit has an annual capacity to process up to 150,000 tonnes of liquefied waste plastic. Production ramp-up commenced in 2026.
Case published 19.8.2026
Aspo – Demerger and finance matters
We advised Aspo Plc, ESL Shipping Ltd and AtoBatC Shipping AB in relation to finance matters in connection with the demerger of Aspo, by which all the shares in ESL Shipping Ltd held by Aspo, together with the related assets and liabilities, will be transferred to a new independent company to be named ESL Shipping Group Plc. Aspo intends to apply for the shares of ESL Shipping Group to be admitted to trading on the regulated market of Nasdaq Helsinki. It is further intended that Aspo be renamed Telko Group Plc.
Case published 19.8.2026