Annual fees for European patents in Norway

Briefly explained

• You pay annual fees to the Norwegian Industrial Property Office when you validate the patent in Norway.
• The first annual fee is due no earlier than three months after the European Patent Office (EPO) has published the grant.
• After that, you pay once a year.
• You must keep track of the deadlines yourself.

When do you start paying annual fees in Norway?

You pay annual fees in Norway from and including the annuity year after the European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that the patent has been granted.

A patent may have several annuity years behind it when the EPO grants it. Therefore, the first payment in Norway may apply to a later annuity year.

However, the first annual fee in Norway is due no earlier than when the three-month deadline for validation expires. This means that you always have at least three months from the grant before the first payment is due in Norway.

When should the annual fee be paid?

The annual fee is normally due

• in advance every year
• on the last day of the month the annuity year begins

If the deadline for validation expires later than the ordinary payment deadline, we will postpone the first payment deadline accordingly.

If you do not manage to pay within the ordinary deadline, you can still pay up to six months later, but then with an additional fee.

How to find the correct annual fee

Our payment service can be used for already validated EP patents and recently granted EP patents with short annual fee deadlines. Here you can also look up deadlines and calculate amounts, even if you plan to pay later.

Validated patents are published in Tidende and visible in the Norwegian Industrial Property Office's patent register.

How much does it cost?

The annual fees are the same as for national patents in Norway. The fee gradually increases for each year you maintain the patent.

Do you receive a payment reminder?

For the first due date after validation, the Norwegian Industrial Property Office normally sends a reminder before the payment deadline.

For subsequent years

The annual fee is due without an invoice. Therefore, you must keep track of the deadlines yourself.

If you do not pay by the due date, we will send a reminder. The reminder is a service and not a legally mandated notice. You are still responsible for paying within the deadlines, even if you do not receive a reminder.

Examples of annual fee calculation

The examples show that the first payment to Norway may vary, depending on when the EPO (European Patent Office) granted the patent.

Example 1

Delivery date : December 3, 2020

Patent granted by EPO : May 3, 2022

The patent is granted in the second fee year. The first payment to Norway applies to the third fee year and is due on 31 December 2022.

Example 2

Delivery date : May 3, 2020

Patent granted by EPO : May 3, 2022

You must pay your first annual fee to Norway within the three-month validation period. The next payment will follow the regular annual payment cycle.

Example 3

Delivery date : May 3, 2020

Patent granted by EPO : May 4, 2022

In this case, you pay the final fee to the EPO first. You then pay the annual fee to Norway from the following fee year onwards.

How long does a patent last?

You can maintain a patent for up to 20 years from the filing date, provided you pay annual fees.

For medicinal products and plant protection products, you may in some cases apply for an extension with a supplementary protection certificate (SPC).