There are a number of advisers who can help you protect and maintain your intellectual property. Such advisers are often referred to as IP advisors (formerly: patent attorney), lawyers and attorneys.
Intellectual property cover many disciplines, such as copyright, trade secrets, patents, designs and trademarks. It is therefore important to find an adviser who is an expert on what you need.
Before you apply for new rights, you should, for example, consider how the new rights can strengthen your business.
Before beginning the application processes, you may need to make strategic decisions about which rights you should prioritize and in which countries. It can therefore be advantageous to contact an advisor early in the process.
The Norwegian Industrial Property Office cannot recommend specific people or consulting companies, but we have described some of the assessments you can make when you need to find an advisor that suits your needs.
Check whether the advisor is a member of an IP association. The associations can set requirements for both liability insurance and education, and have their own ethical rules, e.g. in relation to confidentiality.
Liability insurance can cover losses in the event of liability as a result of the consultancy. If necessary, check with what type of insurance the advisor has, and how much coverage the advisor's insurance has.
If you are already thinking about applying for rights in other countries, you should check what qualifications and experience the advisor has, and whether he/she is part of an international IP advisor network. This will make it easier to find national advisors in other countries, and to obtain information about laws and practices in such countries.
The Norwegian Industrial Property Office has received multiple complaints regarding certain companies offering intellectual property advisory services. You should be particularly cautious of the following companies:
There is a business connection between these companies.
Innovation Norway's advisor database provides an overview of a number of advisors who offer various services related to intellectual property.
These are advisors with technical expertise. They are often called IP advisors (formerly patent attorneys).
Writing a patent application can be very challenging and you may need help from an expert. Among other things, some knowledge of the application’s formalities is required.
Our statistics show that applications written by patent advisors more often lead to a patent than applications written without such assistance.
To get an overview of advisors who have submitted patent applications within your technical field, you can search our register. In the register, you can read patent applications and see how the patent applications are prepared. This can give you information about the expertise of the advisor.
Feel free to request an initial meeting with one or more advisors to discuss your needs. It can give you an impression of whether the advisor's competence and commitment are right for your business. It is important that your advisor has the right technical understanding, an understanding of your business and how you want to use patent protection.
If you are going to apply for a European patent and want an advisor to represent you, the advisor must be authorized to represent you before the EPO.
Practicing lawyers with a Norwegian bar license do not need to be authorized and can represent clients before the EPO. Such lawyers are not on the list of authorized advisors.
Did you know that as much as 90 % of the assets in innovative companies can be intellectual property? It is therefore important that these values are managed correctly. A well-thought-out strategy is as important to commercial success as financing, marketing and sales.
Learn more about IP strategy
Do you want to find new business opportunities and sources of income? Maybe you dream of selling your products in new markets?
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