Our legal trainee Tuomas Kuusisto looked into what happened to the Asko and Sotka trademarks when the company behind them, Indoor Group Oy, went bankrupt. The case shows that a trademark does not die with the company, and that a brand sale is not complete until the transfer shows in the trademark register.

Carpenter Aukusti Avonius founded a furniture factory in Lahti, Finland, in 1918. In 1931 the company was renamed Asko-Avonius Huonekalutehtaat, and Asko grew into one of the best-known furniture brands in Finland. In 1999 Asko and Sotka were brought together in the same company, which became Indoor Group in 2000.

In the winter of 2026 the story came to a halt. A creditor filed for Indoor Group Oy's bankruptcy at the end of January, and on 9 February 2026 the company filed for bankruptcy itself and closed its stores and online shop. The Helsinki District Court declared the company bankrupt the following day. The bankruptcy affected 74 stores and more than 500 employees.

The names did not disappear, however. In March, the bankruptcy estate sold the Asko and Sotka brands to Sukari Konserni Oy. The buyer said it would first open Asko brand stores and decide on the Sotka brand later. In July, the first new Asko store opened in Lempäälä, and by September there were four. No decision has been announced on the return of Sotka stores, but the furniture retailer Masku says it is renewing the Sotka online store.

The trademark belongs to the bankruptcy estate

When a company is declared bankrupt, it loses the right to dispose of its assets. For trademarks, the law is clear: the trademark of a bankrupt company belongs to the bankruptcy estate. The estate administrator's task is to turn the assets of the estate into money in a way that achieves the best possible sale price.

A well-known trademark and other brand rights can be among the most valuable assets of the estate, because customers remember the name long after the stores have closed their doors. According to the estate administrator, the buyer in the Asko and Sotka deal acquired the intellectual property rights of the brands, that is, the trademarks and business names.

A trademark is not the same thing as product design, however. According to Yle, the manufacturing and sales rights to Asko's best-known furniture, such as Eero Aarnio's Ball Chair introduced in 1966, had already largely been sold, and the bankruptcy did not affect the availability of the furniture. The name of a brand and its best-known products can therefore end up with different owners.

Same ASKO, two holders

The deal and the register data do not move at the same pace. In the EU trademark register, the ASKO marks have already been recorded in the name of Sukari Konserni Oy. The transfer was applied for on 27 August 2026 and published in the EU Trade Marks Bulletin on 4 September 2026.

In the Finnish trademark register, the situation is different. The national ASKO mark, registered as early as 1960, was still in the name of Indoor Group Oy on 5 October 2026. The ASKO marks therefore have a different holder in Finland and in the EU.

The SOTKA marks have not been transferred to the new owner in either the Finnish or the EU trademark register. In Finland, all 19 national registrations of the company that are in force were still in the name of Indoor Group Oy on 5 October 2026, including the SOTKA and ASKO & SOTKA marks. The situation is visible online as well: sotka.fi already redirects visitors to the Masku website, but its privacy notice still names the bankruptcy estate of Indoor Group Oy as the controller.

The trademark registers do not say why this is the case. An application to record the transfer may be pending, or arrangements related to the deal may still be incomplete. An outsider only sees what has been entered in the trademark register, and that is exactly what carries legal weight.

Why recording the transfer matters

The new proprietor of an EU trademark cannot invoke the rights conferred by the mark until the transfer has been entered in the EU trademark register. The buyer cannot, for example, take action against an infringement of the mark before the transfer is recorded.

Finnish law points in the same direction. The holder of a mark is deemed to be whoever was last entered as its holder in the Finnish trademark register. If a sale has not been recorded, it is not binding on a third party who is unaware of it, nor on the seller's creditors. On this basis, Indoor Group Oy is for now deemed to be the holder of the national ASKO mark. News reports and press releases do not change this, nor do they protect the buyer, as long as the transfers have not been recorded in the trademark register.

A buyer of brand rights should therefore apply to have the transfer recorded immediately after the deal in every trademark register where the right is in force. The Finnish and EU trademark registers are separate, and changes to international registrations are recorded in the International Register maintained by WIPO.

The register clock keeps ticking during bankruptcy

A trademark registration does not disappear in bankruptcy, but without upkeep it will not stay in force forever. A registration is valid for ten years at a time, and it can still be renewed within six months after it expires, for an additional fee. If the registration is not renewed, it is removed from the trademark register. Among the marks in the name of Indoor Group Oy, for example, the HARLEKIINI registration expires on 29 November 2026 unless its holder renews it.

The other risk is non-use. If a mark has not been used for five years, the registration can be revoked. A competitor therefore cannot start using the mark of a bankrupt company simply because that company has ceased trading. The right to the mark remains until the registration expires or is revoked.

Remember this

• Bankruptcy does not end a trademark. The trademark registration belongs to the bankruptcy estate, and the estate administrator can sell it.
• A brand sale is complete only when the transfer of the registration shows in the trademark register. Check each register separately: Finland, the EU, international registrations and any national registrations abroad.
• The mark of a bankrupt company does not become free on its own. It only becomes available once the trademark registration expires or is revoked, for example for non-use.

Want to make sure your brand acquisition is also complete in the trademark register? 

Book a complimentary consultation