The primary role of the Norwegian Patent Office (NPO) is to support Norwegian industry and promote economic growth. Raising awareness and increasing understanding of industrial property rights is an essential element in enabling companies to secure their investments and develop a competitive edge in the global market. 

The NPO is responsible for processing applications for patent protection, and for trademark and design registration. We offer courses, seminars and lectures on the importance of industrial property rights. We also carry out a variety of searches and investigations to provide our customers with more detailed information according to their needs. We provide our customers with information on technological developments within a specific technical field, we give prior assessments of ideas for patenting, trade marks and designs, and we monitor specific activities and companies involved in particular fields. Our customers include Norwegian and foreign companies, research institutions, inventors and innovators. We focus particularly on Norwegian customers.

The Organization

The Norwegian Patent Office (NPO) is a government authority organized under the Ministry of Trade and industry. The NPO has approximately 270 employees working with legal issues, technology and science, finance and administration, as well as information and marketing services.