Easier for foreign companies to protect ideas in Norway

(1 October 2019): From 1 October it has become easier for foreign companies to apply for rights to inventions, trademarks and designs in Norway. The Norwegian Industrial Property Office (NIPO) is one of the first public authorities to open Altinn for foreign users.

The new digital solution gives businesses outside Norway access to the Altinn portal for filing, payment and correspondence with the Norwegian Industrial Property Office. Altinn is the Norwegian internet portal for digital dialogue between businesses, private individuals and public agencies.

The new service is one of several steps in the NIPO's efforts to provide digital solutions and to simplify case management. Foreign businesses account for about 70% of all applications for patents, trademarks and design registrations in Norway.

— Our goal is to make it easier for innovative companies to protect their ideas, says Director Otto Scharff of the NIPO. He points out that the new service is based on Altinn and is integrated with the NIPO's own case management system, which will ensure quality at all levels.
— We are pleased that foreign businesses can now also use Altinn, an issue which we have been working on for a long time, says Scharff.