Business or company names
How can you register your company name?
To register the name of your company go to the Brønnøysund Register Centre.
You can register a name that directly describes the activity in which your company is engaged, but this will only protect you from attempts to use a completely identical name. So as to prevent others from using a similar and potentially confusing name, your own business name must be distinctive.
Read more about how you can protect your company or business name
In certain circumstances, a business enterprise name can also be registered as a trademark.
Read more about the requirements for registering a trademark
In daily usage, the terms company, firm and business tend to be interchangeable. In Norwegian law, the term "business enterprise" is normally used.
Complaints regarding company names
If you believe that a company name registered with the Brønnøysund Register Centre can be easily confused with the name of your own company or trademark, either in the way it is written or spoken, you can submit a complaint to the Norwegian Industrial Property Office. The same applies if the company name infringes your rights to a protected personal name.
Only company names registered in the Business Register can be appealed. Company names that are only registered in the Unit Register fall outside the scheme. You can read more about the Business Register on the website of the Brønnøysund Register Centre (in Norwegian).
The decisive factor is whether or not other people (your potential customers) could possibly confuse the two names.