Official Actions

The first Official Action issued by the NIPO presents the result of their novelty search, their comments regarding inventive step and industrial applicability, as well as formal deficiencies and requirements for maintaining the application. The term for replying to the first Official Action will be six months. Later Official Actions will normally have a reply term of three months.

In Norway, there is no limit on the number of Official Actions. The number of Official Actions in a case will depend on its complexity, and it is normally 2-4.

Upon receiving an Official Action, we translate it if necessary, and forward it to our clients with our comments. Some clients request a full and thorough analysis including a defence strategy, while others prefer a mere translation of the Official Action. We welcome you to let us know your preference.

We will enclose the documents cited by the NIPO unless the documents are already known to the Applicant from the International Search Report (ISR) or a parallel application.

Failure to file a timely response will result in the application being shelved, but reinstatement can be granted under certain conditions. Extensions of reply terms may also be obtained. See Responding to Official Action(s).