ELECTRONICS, IT

Our consultants have extensive experience in assisting clients within the electronics, communication and IT industries, for instance with IP strategy, patenting, trademark protection, monitoring and infringement assessments. We also have several consultants with extensive international experience within research and industrial development of electronics.

Our lawyers and associated lawyers also assist our clients in prosecution of violations of rights within and outside the court of law, trademark protection, IP related agreements and other legal advice.

Electronics, communication and data technology are industries which have developed at great speed for many years, and which do not seem to slow down. The industry is international, creative development happens continually and the geographical spread is continually increasing. At the same time the margins are getting smaller, the competition hardens, the need for technological development is increasing all the time, and the need for protection of the technology is thus obvious.

The statistics for patent applications within these and similar fields show great differences between Norwegian and foreign applicants. We see many applications from foreign applicants, while the number is relatively modest from Norwegian applicants. This is both a threat and a possibility for Norwegian industry. Threats, in the meaning that there are large numbers of rights which Norwegian companies must relate to. Possibility, in the meaning that Norwegian companies within this industry surprisingly rarely seek patent protection, and hence have the potential to increase their number of applications, and then to use these for profit and cross licensing.

The threat may be reduced by having an active regard for others’ rights. This may be done by conducting searches of rights before the product launch. Then one can avoid unintentional patent infringement with possible conflicts, and the risk of having to withdraw the product from the market. One may also be proactive by monitoring competitors and technical fields, and in that way have a continuous survey of new rights that appear, and which also may indicate possible product launches by competitors. Recently one has seen what dramatic consequences there may be when electro-giants do not handle competitors’ rights correctly.

The potential of one’s own possibilities may be achieved in many ways, particularly by filing patent applications, but also to ensure documentation for prior right to utilization of own products. At the basis of this there should be a well-considered strategy plan for one’s own and others’ immaterial rights.

Protection of software-related inventions is a field where patent practice is changing. We are happy to assist in assessing if and how software-related inventions best can be protected in Europe or other parts of the world.