With one European patent application, you can therefore apply for patent protection in several countries at the same time.
One application for almost 40 countries
You can apply for a patent through the European Patent Office (EPO) under the rules of the European Patent Convention (EPC). The EPC covers almost 40 European countries.
A European patent application may be a good choice if
- your market is in Europe
- you want patent protection in several European countries
- you will deal with one unified application process
The EPO examines the application and makes a central decision that applies to all countries in the EPC cooperation. Therefore, during the application phase, a single application is sufficient.
What happens if the patent is granted?
If the EPO grants the application, you must choose how the patent will continue to apply in the individual countries.
You can
- validate the patent in the countries where you want protection
- request unitary effect (unitary patent)
- combine these solutions
You do not have to choose until the EPO has granted the patent.
If you want the patent to be valid in Norway, you must validate the patent with the Norwegian Industrial Property Office (NIPO) within the deadline.
Use priority from a Norwegian application
If you have already submitted a Norwegian patent application, you can use it as the basis for a European application.
If you proceed with a European application within the priority deadline, you can claim priority from the Norwegian application. This means that we will consider the European application as if it were filed on the same day as the Norwegian application.
Please contact us before proceeding if you want to use priority from a Norwegian application.
Expedite the processing of the application (PPH)
If you have received a positive assessment of a similar patent application at another patent office, you can in some cases request faster processing through the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).
PPH can be used between several patent offices, including between Norway and the European Patent Office (EPO).
Who processes the application?
The European Patent Office (EPO) processes and assesses European patent applications, and eventually grants a European patent.
If you have any questions about the application process, the proceedings or the requirements for the application, you must contact the EPO.
How does the patent become valid in Norway?
A European patent does not automatically apply in Norway when it is granted. You must ensure that the patent takes effect here yourself.
For the patent to be valid in Norway, you must validate it with the Norwegian Industrial Property Office (NIPO) within the deadline.
Provisional patent protection in Norway
You can obtain provisional patent protection in Norway for a European patent application before the patent is granted. To obtain such protection, the application must be published in Norway.
To have the European application published in Norway, you must submit to NIPO:
- an application for publication
- a Norwegian translation of the patent claims
- information about the application number and/or publication number at the EPO
- information about the applicant's name and address
- any power of attorney (if you are using a proxy)
We announce in the Norwegian Patent Gazette that the patent claims have been submitted in Norwegian, and make the translation available in our register .
The provisional protection only applies to the extent that the Norwegian translation corresponds to the text in the language of processing at the EPO. You can submit a correction if you discover errors in the translation.
It is free to apply for publication of a European patent application in Norway.
