(WIPO code: NO) (last revised February 2024)

by Mr. Jens Fr. C. Langfeldt, LANGFELDT IPR, Oslo and KATZAROV SA, Geneva, Switzerland

General Information

Area

385,178 sq. km, including Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

Population

5,533,582 (end of September 2023).

Capital

Oslo with 716,272 inhabitants (end of September 2023).

Language

Norwegian.

Currency

NOK (kroner).

General Remarks

The country is long and narrow; the length of the mainland coastline (including fjords, bays and 239,057 islands) is approx. 100,915 km, and the largest and smallest width of the country is 432 and 6.3 km, respectively.

Other Norwegian possessions are the Antarctic territories of Bouvet Island, Peter I’s Island and Queen Maud Land (total area approx. 2,700,205 sq. km).

The country is thinly populated; average population density is 14.4 inhabitants per sq. km. Of the total area, 70.9% is non-productive land (mainly mountains), 22.8% is covered with forests, and only the remaining 3.3% is fertile, agricultural land.

Norwegian industry has traditionally been based on the country's national resources: ore, fish, forests, and abundant resources of hydroelectric power, used as the basis for electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical industry. Until 2015, the production of oil and gas has exceeded agriculture, forestry and fishing in importance in terms of the national product. Currently, oil and gas investments in the North Sea are on a lower level than before, which has since 2016 affected suppliers to North Sea activities. However, new regions for exploitation are planned, in particular in northern regions, although the "green wave" considerations are of concern to the newly elected government and parliament. Norway is the 2nd largest supplier of gas to the EU, and electric power cables extend between Norway and England, and between Norway and Denmark supplying power to and receiving power from the EU.

Further updated statistical information on Norwegian economy, population, etc., can be obtained from the Norwegian Central Office of Statistics (Internet address: www.ssb.no).

Norway is not a member of the European Union, but is related thereto via EFTA and EEA (European Economic Agreement).

 

Statistics (2022) – Patents
 
Patents filed:  (from Norwegians: 806 ; from abroad: 88) 1,410
       PCT national filings (NO applicants: 59 ; Foreign applicants: 457)  
EP validated patents 5,201
Final decisions 1,373
Applications abandoned or withdrawn 608
Applications rejected 44
Patents granted 761
Patents in force (both NO patents and EP validated patents) 51,086

Remarks: first filed applications normally receive a first Office action within 7 months and a final decision within 2.6 years. Average processing time for other applications 4 – 8 years.

 

Statistics (2022) – Trademarks
 
Trademarks filed:  (from Norwegians: 3,111 ; from abroad: 2,995) 17,696
     Other (IR via Madrid Protocol) 11,590
Final decisions 17,107
Granted registrations 14,800
Abandoned or withdrawn 2,116
Rejections 191
Trademarks in force 240,469
Trademarks renewed 12,872

Remarks: average processing time is 2.1 months until first Office action and 5 months until registration. However, in some cases longer time may apply.

 

Statistics (2022) – Designs
 
Designs filed:  (from Norwegians: 155 ; from abroad: 141) 1,198
    Hague Agreement (from abroad) 886
    Hague Agreement (from NO) 16
Final decisions 1,139
Granted registrations 1,103
Abandoned or withdrawn 36
Rejections 0
Designs in force 12,130
Designs renewed 1,425

Remarks: note that some design applications and registrations often contain more than one design (joint registration). Average processing time is 4.7 months. 

Remarks on Appeals: the Board of Appeals (KFIR) is not part of the Norwegian Industrial Property Office (NIPO). Oral hearings can be requested, if desirable. KFIR decisions in 2022: Patents: 6 (5 NIPO decisions maintained, and 1 NIPO decision fully or partly revoked, 2 of the 6 decisions were revoked by the Oslo District Court); Trademarks: 117 (68 NIPO decisions maintained, 38 NIPO decisions fully or partly revoked, and 11 withdrawn or rejected by KFIR), and Designs: 0. In general, appeals are seldomly filed on cases of designs and plant varieties. KFIR decisions may be appealed in succession to the Oslo District Court, the Borgarting High Court, and the Norwegian Supreme Court to be ruled upon the court in question.

Further details on patents, trademarks and designs statistics in Norway are available from the website of the Norwegian Industrial Property Office (NIPO): www.patentstyret.no or from WIPO: www.wipo.int/ipstats/en