Juha Aalto-Setälä

Associate, Master of Laws

Services

  1. Intellectual Property
  2. Data & Technology

Contact details

I assist both domestic and international clients in various assignments related to intellectual property and technology.

I graduated as a Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki in 2023, and I also have a Master in Music degree from Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts. Before joining Castrén & Snellman, I gained experience working in education and as a musician, among other things. I am interested in intellectual property rights in general, and in particular in copyrights, on which I wrote my master’s thesis.

Latest references

Arctic Biomaterials – Patent litigation over bioactive biomaterials for orthopedic implants
We successfully represented Arctic Biomaterials Oy before the Finnish Market Court in an extensive dispute concerning alleged patent infringement and invalidity of the patent-in-suit. Our client has invented next-generation bioabsorbable composites that are engineered with Arctic Biomaterials’ X3 bioactive natural mineral fibers, offering robust, bioactive reinforcement for orthopedic implants. These advanced composites empower customers to create high-strength bioabsorbable solutions for the most demanding applications. Back in 2019, Purac Biochem B.V. alleged, among other things, that our client’s Evolvecomp product had infringed Purac Biochem B.V.’s European patent validated in Finland protecting a biocompatible composite and its use. Purac Biochem B.V. filed a preliminary injunction against our client under the Act on Securing the Provision of Evidence in Civil Cases Concerning Industrial Property Rights and Copyright (344/2000). The Finnish Market Court issued an ex-parte injunction against our client on 2 April 2019 (MAO:150/19) and a final injunction on 19 February 2020 (MAO:59/20). Our client had disputed Purac Biochem B.V.’s patent infringement claim from the beginning and claimed that the patent-in-suit was invalid. After five years of litigation, the Finnish Market Court handed down a ruling in the joined invalidity and infringement cases on 10 October 2024 (MAO:560/2024 and MAO:561/2024) declaring Purac Biochem B.V.’s patent invalid and dismissing Purac’s infringement action against Arctic Biomaterials. Also, the preliminary injunction based on an alleged patent infringement imposed against Arctic Biomaterials was cancelled. The Market Court declared Purac Biochem B.V.’s patent invalid due to a lack of inventive step. The Market Court applied the could-would method for determining whether the patent-in-suit is inventive or not. The could-would method is based on determining whether a person skilled in the art would (not simply could, but would) have made a specific improvement to prior solutions, based on the available prior art. The Market Court ruled that it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art to solve the objective technical problem of the patent-in-suit in the manner presented in claim 1, using as a starting point the closest prior art (prior patent publication) and combining it with the teaching of another prior art publication. The decision is final.
Case published 29.1.2025
Fortum – Sale of recycling and waste business
We acted as the lead counsel to Fortum in a cross-border transaction in which Fortum sold its recycling and waste business. The business was sold to thematic impact investing firm Summa Equity through its portfolio company NG Group. The debt-free purchase price is approximately EUR 800 million.  Fortum’s recycling and waste business to be sold comprises municipal and industrial waste management and end-to-end plastics, metals, ash, slag and hazardous waste treatment and recycling services. These businesses are located in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway and currently employ approximately 900 employees.
Case published 18.7.2024
International reinsurance companies – Ad hoc arbitration proceedings
We successfully represented a panel of reinsurance companies in an international ad hoc arbitration. The dispute arose out of a reinsurance treaty under the terms of which the reinsurers had reinsured a portfolio of risks underwritten by the cedent. The parties disagreed as to whether the reinsurance provided coverage for a certain loss that had occurred because of the market turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The case involved highly complex legal and contractual questions requiring special expertise on reinsurance law and practice. The arbitral tribunal rejected the counterparty’s claims for reinsurance compensation against our clients in full. The amount in dispute was approximately EUR 34 million.
Case published 16.9.2025
byFounders.vc – DataCrunch’s USD 64 million Series A funding round
We supported byFounders.vc as the Finnish counsel in their investment in DataCrunch Oy in a USD 64 million Series A funding round. DataCrunch provides scalable AI compute solutions from energy-efficient data centers in Iceland and Finland. byFounders.vc is the community-powered early-stage venture fund investing in globally ambitious teams connected to the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Case published 11.9.2025
Springvest – ReOrbit’s EUR 45 million Series A funding round
We advised Springvest Oyj in organising a EUR 45 million Series A funding round for ReOrbit, a space technology company and a leading provider of software-first satellites. It’s the largest all-equity Series A round in Finland and one of the most significant deals overall in the European space and defence sector. The purpose of the funding round is to support ReOrbit’s growth. The round consisted of a private placement reserved for professional and institutional investors, which included, e.g. Icebreaker.vc, Expansion VC, 10xFounders, Inventure VC, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, and Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company, and an EUR 8 million public share offering, which was oversubscribed within 4.5 hours. Springvest is a Finland-based investment firm that connects unlisted growth companies with investors. ReOrbit builds sovereign satellites and connected systems for national security.
Case published 9.9.2025
Ten Eleven Ventures & Tesi – EUR 275 million Series B financing round of IQM Quantum Computers
Castrén & Snellman advised the lead investors Ten Eleven Ventures and Tesi in the EUR 275 million Series B financing round of IQM Quantum Computers, the global leader in building quantum computers. The round is largest Series B round ever in Finland and the second largest in the Nordics. In addition to the lead investors represented by C&S, the round was participated by several new and existing investors, including pension funds Elo Mutual Pension Insurance and Varma Mutual Pension Insurance, strategic investors Companies of Schwarz Group and Winbond Electronics Corporation, and sovereign wealth funds EIC and Bayern Kapital. Ten Eleven Ventures is the original cybersecurity-focused, global, and stage-agnostic investment firm. The firm identifies, invests in, and helps grow top cybersecurity companies addressing critical digital security needs, leveraging its team, network, and experience to build successful businesses. Since its founding, Ten Eleven Ventures has raised over USD 1 billion and made over 60 cybersecurity investments across various stages worldwide. Tesi (Suomen Teollisuussijoitus Oy / Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned investment company with an industrial policy mission focused on driving economic growth, renewal, and investments. Tesi invests on market terms both in venture capital and private equity funds, and directly in startups, scale-ups, and large industrial projects. IQM Quantum Computers, founded as a deep tech spin-off from Aalto University in 2019, specialises in developing quantum computers utilizing superconducting circuits. The company designs and produces quantum processors at its facility in Espoo, providing computing solutions and optimizations tailored to both research and industrial applications. In addition to its Finnish operations, IQM has expanded its presence to Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States.
Case published 4.9.2025
Vapaus Group – Acquisition of Azfalte
We represented Vapaus Group, a leading provider of employee bicycle benefit services, in its cross-border acquisition of Azfalte, a French corporate bicycle solutions company. The acquisition accelerates Vapaus Group’s international expansion and strengthens its position in sustainable mobility by combining Vapaus’s digital platform and circular-economy capabilities with Azfalte’s established enterprise programs and partner network in France. The transaction advances Vapaus’s growth strategy and increases its ability to help employers meet well-being and sustainability goals in one of Europe’s most dynamic cycling markets. Vapaus Group is at the forefront of sustainable mobility services and has been a pioneer in the employee bicycle benefit sector since 2020 with a vision to become the leading bicycle benefit service in Europe. Vapaus has automated the employee bicycle process through its technology platform, covering payroll, invoicing, logistics, insurance, and financing. Azfalte, founded in 2020, is a pioneer of corporate cycling in France, optimizing financing, tailored bikes, insurance, maintenance, assistance, training, and carbon tracking for the benefit of its clients.
Case published 1.9.2025
OP Finland Infrastructure Fund – Conversion of convertible bond and additional investment in Lounea
We acted as legal advisor to OP Finland Infrastructure LP in connection with the conversion of the fund’s agreed EUR 50 million convertible bond into shares in Lounea Net Oyj in 2023. In connection with the conversion, the fund made a new additional investment of EUR 10 million in Lounea. As a result of the arrangement, OP Suomi Infra became a significant owner of Lounea Net Oyj with a 29% stake. Lounea is a Finnish optical fibre operator whose business consists of telecommunications infrastructure and ICT solutions. OP Finland Infrastructure is a fund investing in Finnish infrastructure. The fund is managed by OP Financial Group.
Case published 29.8.2025

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