Vilhelm Schröder

Vilhelm Schröder Finland

Sole Arbitrator Emergency Arbitrator Member of the arbitral tribunal
Finland Finnish (Finland) Resident in Finland Finnish — Fluent English — Fluent Swedish — Fluent

Surname
Schröder
First name
Vilhelm
Current professional position
Specialist Partner, Attorney-at-Law, LL.M. (IP), LL.D.
Organisation / firm
Hannes Snellman Attorneys at Law Ltd
Country of residence
Finland
Nationality
Finnish (Finland)
Languages spoken & proficiency
FinnishFluent EnglishFluent SwedishFluent

Arbitrator roles
Sole Arbitrator Emergency Arbitrator Member of the arbitral tribunal
Professional biography
I am a Finnish attorney with over 15 years of experience in patent disputes. I have been deeply interested in intellectual property and dispute resolution my whole professional career. As a private practitioner, I have litigated before all major Finnish courts ranging from the Market Court (Finnish IP court) to the lower general courts and appellate courts to the Supreme Court as well as administrative courts, including the Supreme Administrative Court. I also have hands-on experience litigating before the Unified Patent Court, both at the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal, making me one of the first and few Finnish practitioners with substantive UPC experience. In addition to my experience as a counsel, I also have experience of resolving disputes from the other side of the bench. My interest in dispute resolution led me to apply for and be accepted to train on the bench in 2013-14, which means I am both qualified and suited to be appointed as a judge in Finnish courts. During my year in the court, I resolved disputes as a sole chairman and in panels with several justices as well. I handed down over 400 rulings and gained a deeper knowledge of case management and procedural law. The court experience strengthened my ability to assess evidence impartially, manage proceedings efficiently, and produce clear and well reasoned decisions. I have also acted as counsel in commercial and IP arbitration before the ICC and the SCC. In 2020, I participated in the Arbitration Academy arranged by the Finland Arbitration Institute (FAI). The academy is only for persons accepted thru an application process and the participants are experienced dispute resolution lawyers, judges and arbitrators. The goal of the FAI Academy was to improve the skills of the participants to act as arbitrators. In addition to practical experience, I also have strong academic credentials and an international education. Already during my master’s studies in Helsinki and as an exchange student in Santa Clara University in the U.S. in 2009, where I focused on IP law. I further deepened my knowledge by completing another master’s degree in Munich (MIPLC) in IP and Competition Law in 2015-16 and subsequently writing my doctoral thesis on the protection of trade secrets in European patent litigation and graduating as s Doctor of Laws from the University of Helsinki in 2022. After my doctoral studies, I have continued to write and lecture on IP topics. My latest article concerned publicity of UPC proceedings and was published in 2025 in the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (Oxford University Press).

Legal / dispute expertise
Antitrust / competition law Copyrights & related rights Damages & valuation Dispute resolution / arbitration practice European patents Licensing & technology transfer National patents SEPs / FRAND SPCs (Supplementary Protection Certificates) Trade secrets & know-how Trademarks Unfair competition Unitary patents
Industries
Construction & engineering Energy & utilities Financial services Infrastructure & transport Manufacturing & industrials Pharmaceuticals & life sciences Technology & IT Telecommunications

Bar admission(s)
2014
Governing law experience
Civil law Common law Mixed

Education (degrees)
Master of Laws, LLM (IP), Doctor of Laws
Relevant training
Master of Laws, University of Helsinki
LL.M. in IP and Competition Law, MIPLC
Doctor of Laws, University of Helsinki
Certifications / licenses
UPC Representative
Finnish Arbitration Academy
Memberships / accreditations
Member of the Finnish Bar
Member of EPLAW
Member of Expert Group on IP at the Finnish Bar
Member of AIPPI
Member of Finnish Association for Industrial Property Rights
Member of the International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property (ATRIP)
Publications and/or speaking engagements

PUBLICATIONS

“Publicity of Proceedings Before the Unified Patent Court”, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, Volume 20, Issue 1, 2025

“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

“Ajankohtaista immateriaalioikeuksista”, Suomen Asianajajat, 2026

“AI and Copyright – Best Friends or Worst Enemies”, Helsinki IP Summit, 2025

“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