SCIT.ATR.PI.2002.NO

Annual Technical Report 2002 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Norway (SCIT/ATR/PI/2002/NO)

Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which are likely to remain stable over time (three years or more) are provided, or home (main) page URLs are provided with a short explanation of how to access the corresponding information.

The term "patent" covers utility models and Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs). Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in their Annual Technical Reports on Industrial Design Information Activities.

I. Evolution of patent activities

In 2002 the number of patent applications received decreased to 6287 applications, from 6400 in 2001. Hence, after the “all time high” number received in 2000 (6700), a decrease has been observed each year since. It is likely that this development reflects the economic difficulties seen in many industries in the period.
Norwegian residents filed 1267 patent applications, representing 20% of the total number received (2001 figure: 1273). The fractions of applications from the various IPC classes remain fairly constant as before. However, the most pronounced change was the decrease in the field of Electricity (IPC-Section H) of 1.2 percent points.

II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information

The Norwegian Patent Gazette (Norsk Patenttidende) is published once a week, and contains bibliographic information on new applications (A0), published patent applications (A-publications, 18 months form earliest priority date) and granted patents (B1, B2, B3). The patent Gazette is generated from our internal database with bibliographic information. The patent Gazette is now published electronically (from January 2001 onwards) and is made available on Norwegian Patent Office’s home page (www.patentstyret.no).

The Norwegian Patent Office prints and publishes an abstract document containing bibliographic information, abstract and drawing or chemical formulae, which is distributed to subscribers. The published patent applications are made available to the public for inspection at our study, or can be supplied as a photocopy on demand.

Granted patents are published and printed as B1 documents, or B2 in case of changes experienced during opposition procedure, or B3 in case of restrictions in a granted patent at the patentee's request. The patents (B1, B2, B3) are produced as paper documents and microfiches, and distributed to subscribers.

Our internal database contains bibliographic information of patents, patent applications and SPC’s including changes in legal status and other information.

The Norwegian Patent Office uses Novell Network and TCP/IP communication. Client operating system is Windows 2000. We are now using MS Office 2000, i.e. MS Word 2000 text processing.

III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents

The NPO uses the IPC for filing new paper documents – including US patent documents. We seldom reclassify foreign documents, but file according to the IPC classification allotted at first place on the document by publishing country. There is a more or less continuous activity to reclassify the Norwegian patents according to the latest IPC classification.

None of the Norwegian patents are translated by the NPO. Indexing of technical information is used to some extent in the chemical field. Patent applicants provide an abstract of the patent application, which is published after approval of the examiner.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

Most of the search files used by the examiners are stored on paper according to the IPC. Old files are not reclassified, that is, the examiners search the documents filed according to both present and previous versions of the IPC. US patents in the period of 1900 – 1980 are filed according to the US patent classification system, and other older patent documents are classified according to national classification systems. Most of the files are continuously updated.

Material contained in the PCT minimum documentation shall normally be searched electronically in external databases. Exceptions are made when access to all drawings published is necessary for conducting a proper search.

V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems

In-house: none
External database hosts used: Dialogue, Questel Orbit, STN, (giving access to, e.g., Chemical Abstracts and Thompson Derwent World Patent Index.)


The Norwegian Patent Office has an internal database, which can be searched on bibliographic data, with legal status, on patents and patent applications from 1976 and onward. The database also includes SPC’s from 1994 onwards.

VI. Administration of the industrial property office library and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, for assisting clients on searching procedures, for obtaining official publications and registry extracts)

Our Info Centre answers questions an inquiries and gives general information concerning industrial property rights to the public (including assisting clients on searching procedures). Most of the inquiries regard legal information from the patent and trademarks registers.

The public can visit the library and use dedicated workstations for searching patent literature on Internet and get assistance from qualified staff (to some extent, the public may also use several CD-ROMs). Visitors are also allowed to use the internal database for Norwegian patents and patent applications. The public can use a classified file of Norwegian patents, and is to some extent allowed to use the examiners' classified documentation of other countries.

The public has access to any numerical document or gazette within industrial property, or they can order photocopies.

The Search and Advisory Service undertook a total of 1773 paid commissions to carry out searches and examinations in technical literature, bibliographic sources or in-house and online databases in 2002.

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information

The Norwegian Patent Office exchanges patent documents with about 20 patent offices and the EPO. Bibliographic data of Norwegian patents and patent applications are provided on a machine- readable form to EPO, Epidos Inpadoc.

The only accepted medium at present for filing patent applications in Norway is paper. We will however in the future make possible electronic delivery of applications (se chapter IX).

VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries

The NORWEGIAN PATENT OFFICE regularly organises internal courses for our own examiners and other office staff in both industrial property rights and online searching.

A closer collaboration with various governmental agencies has been initiated in 2002.

Our Course Service held courses in industrial property rights for the public. Mainly staff from small and medium sized enterprises in the industry, staff from other government agencies working in this area and patent attorneys participate in these courses. The Course Service is given much backing, and there is a great demand for these courses.

In 2002 we continued to provide technical assistance to developing countries by giving novelty searches (state-of-the-art- searches) and ICSEI searches free of charge. In 2002 we conducted 21 novelty searches out of which 17 were ICSEI searches. The assistance is administered by WIPO. In addition, training of representatives from 20 different countries (one from each) over 9 days within patents was performed. This course was initiated by and arranged in cooperation with WIPO.

IX. Other relevant matters

As brought up in former reports, the Norwegian Patent Office will introduce electronic application processing shortly. The project for development of this system was launched in October 1998, and will be in operation from Q1 2004.

Using the electronic application processing and document flow system, the Norwegian Patent Office aims at supporting the following functions:
- New receipt of applications function for industrial rights and ordinary correspondence, including the recording, scanning and OCR treatment of received material. A parallel project paves the road for electronic submission of material as well.
- Electronic document archive with journal and archive management.
- Electronic application processing system, including electronic workflow and the facility for electronic checking of applications for previously registered rights.
- An Internet solution permitting storage of all relevant information in the document archive and access to all published applications for the general public.
- Electronic document exchange, including the transmission of Norwegian patents to patent offices in other countries, receipt of other countries’ patents and also the transmission of applications for industrial rights through international applications systems.