Trademarks

A trademark is a sign which can distinguish your goods and services from those of other traders. A sign includes, for example, words, logos, pictures or a combination of these. You can use your trademark as a marketing tool so that customers can recognise your products or services. As such, it can be a very valuable asset for your business.

If you have a registered mark, you have the right to use it on the goods and services in the classes for which it is registered. You also have the legal right to take action against anyone who uses your mark or a similar mark on the same, or similar goods and services to those that are set out in the registration.

To be registrable, your trade mark must be: 

• distinctive for your goods and services;
• not the same as (or similar to) any earlier marks on the register for the same (or similar) goods or services.
  

The "Further Readings" topics (right hand column) deal with the aspects below:

Trademarks - general info
What is a trademark?
Where and how do you apply to register a trademark?

Collective marks
An association may give its members exclusive rights to use a trademark or other symbol for their goods and/or services. Such associations could be e.g. an association of painters, doctors.

For hallmarking gold, silver and platinum goods
Goods made of gold, silver or platinum which have been assigned a standard of purity (for example, 830) must be stamped. Registration of a hallmark is compulsory, i.e. it cannot be stamped on the goods before registration with The Norwegian Industrial Property Office.

International trademark
Private individuals or companies in any of the member countries of the Madrid Protocol may apply for registration of a trademark in other member countries on the basis of a national application or registration of a trademark.