Johanna Lilja
Partner, Helsinki
Corporate Investigations & Compliance, Data Protection, Digitalization & TMT, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Intellectual Property, Marketing & Consumer
Contact
Assistant information
Johanna Lilja is a Helsinki-based Partner at Roschier specializing in both contentious and non-contentious work relating to intellectual property, data and technology. She heads Roschier’s Data Protection practice.
Johanna is an all-round litigator with particular focus on patent and technology litigation. She has worked with a diverse range of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, telecommunications, engineering, energy and shipping technologies. She has served as both first and second chair in IP litigation cases before various courts, including the Market Court, Helsinki District Court, Helsinki Court of Appeals, and the Finnish Supreme Court. She has also assisted clients in UPC litigation related preparations and strategies. Her patent litigation cases have encompassed a variety of issues such as infringement through equivalence, burden of proof, infringing acts, preliminary injunctions, calculation of damages and reasonable compensation for use. She is one of the only Finnish litigators who have handled SEP cases (including FRAND defense). Johanna regularly assists clients with litigation strategies and coordinates cross-border litigation work. Johanna also has an extensive experience in anti-counterfeiting enforcement cases.
In addition to litigation work, Johanna also has arbitration experience (ICC, FAI and SCC) involving technology, ICT and insurance sectors.
Johanna also has a very strong focus on various regulatory issues, with a particular focus on data protection. Her practice involves advising clients on a wide range of privacy, cyber security, data sharing and AI matters. In addition to regulatory work, she has extensive experience in commercial contracts and transactions relating to intellectual property, data, technology.
Johanna’s practice also extends to employment related cases, where she regularly advises clients on matters related to employee inventions, trade secrets and privacy. Additionally, she specializes in industry-specific regulatory issues, with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical, medical device, life sciences and healthcare sectors. She have has also advised clients in numerous administrative appeal proceedings and have experience in compliance cases, internal investigations, and audits related to data protection, anti-bribery, FCPA compliance, and marketing.
Johanna’s experience includes working for Nokia Corporation and Pfizer Oy as a visiting lawyer. She is President of the Finnish AIPPI Group and a member of international AIPPI’s Standing Committee on Client Attorney Privilege and Standing Committee on Pharma and Biotech. Johanna is a member of the working group assembled by the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland to draft the Finnish IT2022 standard contract terms and conditions.
Johanna frequently writes and lectures on topics relating to IPR, data protection and compliance issues. She is a certified CIPP/E (Certified Information Privacy Professional / Europe, IAPP 2015).
Recognitions
Johanna Lilja is the exclusive winner of the International Law Office (ILO) Client Choice Award 2017 for the Internet & IT category in Finland. She is also recognized as a leading expert in Finland in the areas of IP (including patent and design litigation), life sciences and TMT/information technology by international legal directories such as Chambers Europe/Global, The Legal 500, Managing IP (IP Stars) and Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal).
This is what clients say about Johanna:
“Johanna is fantastic because she is always approachable, on top of the case and hands-on. She knows every detail, and her pleading in court is strong.”
– Chambers Global 2025, Intellectual Property
“Johanna Lilja is a strong performer.”
– Chambers Global 2025, Intellectual Property
“Johanna Lilja is well known as a patent litigator.”
– Chambers Europe 2025, TMT: Data Protection
“Johanna Lilja is fantastic. She is extremely approachable and always on top of things. She offers short reaction times.”
– Chambers Global 2024, Intellectual Property
“Johanna has an excellent knowledge base on all IP-related topics. She knows everybody and is generally appreciated by the industry, courts and colleagues.”
– Chambers Global 2024, Intellectual Property
“Johanna Lilja is very thorough and knowledgeable, and very nice to work with.”
– The Legal 500 2024, Intellectual Property
“Alongside a clear focus on commercial objectives, Johanna Lilja is well versed in relevant legal frameworks. She is skilled in identifying legal solutions that fit the best in each circumstance.”
– IAM Patent 1000 2024
“She is hands-on, responsive and very good to work with.”
– Chambers Global 2023, Intellectual Property
“Johanna Lilja is very thorough in her work and very skilled.”
– The Legal 500 2023, Intellectual Property
“Partner Johanna Lilja stands out as an inspirational leader in the team.”
– The Legal 500 2023, TMT
“Exceptionally service minded with a brilliant grasp of clientele and their relevant industries.”
– IAM Patent 1000 2023
“An outstanding lawyer with sound legal thinking and robust arguments, does mostly litigation assignments that involve telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and industrial design mandates.”
– IAM Patent 1000 2023
Work highlights
Johanna Lilja’s experience includes advising:
- Nokia regularly on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious IP- and technology-related assignments including also patent litigation and international arbitrations, e.g.: (i) as lead counsel for Nokia in SEP litigation against Oppo in Finland and in Sweden; (ii) counsel for Nokia in SEP litigation against Apple in Finland and in Sweden;
- Several innovative pharmaceutical companies in patent litigations before the civil courts in Finland. The matters have involved questions on infringement through equivalence, burden of proof, infringing acts, preliminary injunctions and calculation of damages;
- Clients in all aspects of data privacy matters, including GDPR compliance projects, cross-border outsourcing of personal data and employee privacy questions in a variety of contexts. Advising consumer businesses with privacy issues linked with marketing campaigns, loyalty programs and profiling. Advising pharmaceutical and healthcare companies in relation to processing of sensitive personal data. Acting as lead counsel for Nordic clients, and as a local counsel for global companies in roll-out of global privacy policies and their enforcement;
- A number of brand owners with enforcement of their well known trademarks. Regularly assisting various brand owners in customs seizures and anti-counterfeiting cases;
- Various pharmaceutical companies before the Supreme Administrative Court relating to appeals over regulatory authorities’ administrative decisions;
- A global pharmaceutical company in their M&A and restructuring activities in Finland; and
- Clients in Data, IP- and technology-related aspects in connection with private and public M&A as well as private equity transactions, including e.g.:
- Wolt in the EUR 7 billion sale of the company to DoorDash;
- Mobidiag and its shareholders in the EUR 668 million sale of the company to Hologic, Inc;
- Hedin Mobility Group in the acquisition of Laakkonen Group’s automotive business.
Career
Roschier (2004-), Partner since 2013
Pfizer Oy, Visiting Lawyer (2010-2011)
Nokia Multimedia, Visiting lawyer (2007)
Memberships
Member of the Finnish Bar Association
Member of AIPPI; President of the Finnish AIPPI Group
Member of EPLAW
Member of the Finnish Anti-Counterfeiting Group
Member of the Finnish Association for Industrial Property Rights (STY)
Member of the International Trademark Association (INTA)
Member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
Member of IT Law association
Professional appointments
AIPPI Client Attorney Privilege Committee, Member
AIPPI Pharma and Biotechnology Committee, Member
AIPPI Finland, Secretary (2006-2011), Board member (2012-), Vice President (2017-2020), President (2021-)
Member of the working group assembled by the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland to draft the Finnish IT2018 standard contract terms and conditions (2017-)
Representative of the Finnish Bar Association in a working group appointed by the Finnish Ministry of Justice relating to the enforcement of the Council of Europe Convention on counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (2013-2014)
Finnish Anti-Counterfeiting Group, Board member (2006-2008; 2010-2014), Vice Chairman (2010-2014)
EPLAW Patent Blog, Member of the Editorial Board
Kluwer Patent Cases Database, Reporter for Finland
Publications
Chapter “Henkilötietojen käsittely (EHK)” in IT2018 – Käytännön käsikirja, Kauppakamari 2018
“Sivullisen tiedonantovelvollisuus verotusmenettelyssä ja henkilötietojen suoja” (“Disclosure obligation of a third party in taxation procedure and protection of personal data”), in Defensor Legis 3/2018
Finnish chapter in The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Pharmaceutical Advertising, co-author Mikael Segercrantz, Global Legal Group 2008-2009, 2011, 2013-2015
Finnish chapter in The Life Sciences Law Review, Law Business Research 2013
“Kuluttajien profilointi markkinointitarkoituksiin” (“Profiling of Consumers for Marketing Purposes”) in Defensor Legis 2/2013
“Data Protection in Finland: Overview” in Practical Law Global Guide to Data Protection, Thomson Reuters 2013, 2014-2015, 2015-2016 (latest edition co-authors Jori Jokinen and Suvi Laes)
“Due Diligence -toimeksianto ja asianajajayhtiön korvausvastuu” (“A Due Diligence assignment and the liability of a law firm”) in Oikeustiede-Jurisprudentia 2004: XXXVII, p. 45
Finnish chapter in Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights through Border Measures, Oxford University Press, second edition 2012
Finnish chapter in Trade Mark Litigation – Jurisdictional comparisons, editors Thierry Calame and Massimo Sterpi, The European Lawyer 2008
Education
University of Helsinki, LL.M. (2004)
Languages
English, Finnish, Swedish
The Legal 500Supremely talented practitioner – capable, adaptive and reassuring.