Why spend money on a preliminary search? 

Don't spend time and money reinventing the wheel!
The information we can give you on the latest technological developments in your field can be very useful when developing a new project. We can also furnish you with information about your competitors, with ideas and inspiration for further development, and much, much more!

A search in the Norwegian Patent Office's own patent databases and other relevant patent databases all over the world, can give you valuable information concerning technological developments and patent property rights in your field. 80% of all new technological developments are described only in these sources. We also carry out searches in relevant journals.

The Norwegian Patent Office delivers thorough and reasonably priced patent technical searches.

We offer the following services: 

1. Searching a specific technical field or topic.
You receive a summary of known technical solutions within a specific technical field or specific topic.
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2. Is your method or technical solution already known?
You receive a report stating whether a particular technical solution is already known – with or without an assessment of the search results.
You receive a report on whether someone else has already patented or filed a patent application for a particular method, application or product in Norway or/and other countries.
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3. Patentability
You receive a report, which may be used as a basis to evaluate the probability of your invention or technical solution being granted patent.
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4. Patent family
You receive a summary indicating in which countries a particular patent has been applied for
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5. Name search
You receive a report on whether a specific individual or company has filed a patent application or been granted a patent in Norway and/or abroad.
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6. Monitoring patent applications in Norway
You receive regular statements concerning the status of a specific patent application.
You receive copies of all available correspondence in a specific patent application.
You receive regular statements on whether a particular individual or company has filed a patent application in Norway.
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7. Citation search
You receive a report indicating which documents have been cited in a particular patent or whether the patent has been cited by others.
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8. Statistics
You receive the following bibliographical information concerning a patent: applicant’s name, inventor’s name, registered patent agent, application number and date, patent publication number and date, application type, IPC (class) and status.
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Price list

Conditions of Delivery

How to Order a Preliminary Search

Take note of the following

• Unless the customer stipulates otherwise, the novelty search undertaken by the Search Service is the equivalent of the novelty search automatically carried out in connection with the processing of a patent application 
• An assessment of patentability is made on the basis of the information provided by the customer 
• During the period between a technical search and a later filing of a patent application, other applications may have been filed which could prevent the granting of patent rights for your invention
• A final decision as to the patentability of your invention can only be given in connection with a patent application 
• A technical search does not grant you priority. Priority can only be obtained on submission of a patent application 
• For name searches including patent applications not yet publicly disclosed, we can only give you bibliographic information
   

More information on technical searches

1. Searching a specific technical field or topic.
When is this type of search useful?

• When you have a technical problem, and no solution. Let other people’s inventions inspire you!
• When you would like a summary of known technology 

2. Is your method or technical solution already known?
When is this type of search useful?

• When you would like to know whether your invention really is new, or if someone else has already patented it
• When you need a foundation for evaluating whether your invention is likely to infringe someone else's patent ownership rights

3. Patentability
When is this type of search useful?

• When you would like an assessment as to the patentability of your invention

 
4. Patent family
When is this type of search useful?

• When you wish to know in which countries a patent is valid

5. Name search
When is this type of search useful?

• When you are interested in a summary of your competitors' patents and patent applications in Norway and/or abroad 
• When you would like to know whether your competitor has filed a patent application in Norway or abroad 
• When you are interested in keeping an eye on your competitors' development strategies

6. Monitoring patent applications in Norway
When is this type of search useful?

• When you would like to know what your competitors are doing 
• When you have heard about a particular patent application filed in Norway, and would like to be informed when/if the patent is granted, or you would like to receive a copy of any new documents made available during the examination of the application.
• When you would like to be kept informed of possible future patent applications filed in Norway by a specific company 
• When you would like to keep up with the latest technological developments within your technical field. We can inform you each time a Norwegian patent application is filed in a specific IPC-class (International Patent Classification). You stipulate the period for which monitoring is to be carried out: for six months, for a year, or until you terminate the agreement.

7. Citation search
Citation: documents, which may be an impediment to the granting of patent rights, referred to by the case officer in the course of examining a patent application.

When is this type of search useful?

• When you wish to know whether anyone has sent in an application to protect technology close up to “your” field.
• When you wish to know whether anyone has sent in an application to protect developments on the technology described in the patent.
• When you wish to judge the strength of a patent. If a patent is often cited, it suggests that the patent describes technology which is significant in its field.

8. Statistics
We can offer the following:
The number of patent applications for a certain period of time -

• Arranged according to applicant
• Arranged according to applicant’s country of origin
• Arranged according to Norwegian applicant’s postal code
• Arranged according to inventor
• Arranged according to inventor’s country of origin
• Arranged according to Norwegian inventor’s postal code
• Arranged according to registered patent agent
• Arranged according to branch
• Arranged according to type of application
• Arranged according to application’s status
• Combination of the above
  

7. Other searches
Searches can be tailored to meet your specific requirements
Please contact us if you are interested in other types of searches than those described here, and we will do our best to help you.

Important information

• We are happy to discuss the search with you beforehand. 
• We contact you if we are unsure of details in your search request 
• We give you quick results 
• We are happy to discuss the results with you