The man had brought the suit over a 40-euro fine levied three years ago by the Q Park Services company in the Ruoholahti district. Rather than pay up, he had sued the company, arguing their actions were unconstitutional.

He claimed that the parking company had used powers that are reserved under the constitution for public bodies, and that the fine was therefore not enforceable.

The Finnish constitution states that 'a task involving significant exercise of public powers can only be delegated to public authorities'. The man argued that parking companies were private entities exercising significant public powers.

The district court rejected his case in a judgement issued on Monday.

It ruled that he had understood the written conditions applied to the parking area, and therefore entered a so-called ’silent contract’ with the company, accepting the conditions and any penalties he would have to pay. Public powers were not, according to the court, at issue.

He will not have to pay the parking company 6,000 euros to cover legal costs. He intends to take the case to a higher court, but the appeals court is not obliged to accept test cases like this one.

Meanwhile the government has indicated it wants to strip private companies of the right to levy fines.