News and current topics from various practice areas and industries

On 2 November 2020, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling (HR-2020-2109-A) with important clarifications on the concept of pay and the principle of equal treatment for agency workers.

Jørn A. Uggerud named as leader of the Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster Contracts group.

The International energy drinks giant Monster Energy Company recently lost a trademark infringement claim against the energy drinks start-up Manimal Energy, before Borgarting Court of Appeals in Norway. The appeal court also rejected Monster’s claim that Manimal had copied Monster’s products in violation of Norwegian marketing law.

On Tuesday, June 30, the Government established changes in the NEM Regulation that clarify the rules on corporate and functional separation between power grid activities and other activities. The basis for the rule change was a proposal by the Reiten Committee in 2014, in which Hjort partner Kristin Bjella was one of three committee members who participated in the work.

The Supreme Court recently handed down a decision in a case concerning screens for iPhones imported into Norway by a mobile repair shop operator. The screens, which were not manufactured by Apple, had originally been branded with the Apple logo, but the logos were covered with marker. The question was whether the screens infringed Apple’s trademark rights.

On Friday, June 12 2020, by royal decree, the areas “Utsira Nord” and “Sørlige Nordsjø II” were opened for offshore renewables, including offshore wind power. This means it will be possible to submit license applications for offshore wind power projects. At the same time the King also adopted a regulation which supplements the Ocean Energy Act and clarifies the licensing process.

Norway is introducing new rules on customs seizures of goods that infringe IP rights. The new rules are likely to take effect from January 2021 and are more aligned with the comparable EU rules than the current Norwegian regulations. Nonetheless, Norway will not become part of the EU-wide system for submitting and handling applications for border seizures. Rights holders that have already filed an application for customs seizures in the European Union pursuant to the EU Customs Regulation (608/2013) will still have to file a new application for customs seizures in Norway pursuant to the Norwegian Customs Act.

Advokatfirmaet Hjort is a member of the Ius Laboris network, a global alliance of leading employment, labour and pension law firms. Working together with our network we have created a Guide for International Employers to assist employers in keeping their employees safe and protect their business as much as possible.

On April 2, 2020, the government outlined the details for the compensation scheme which will cover a share of the unavoidable overhead costs for companies with decrease in turnover as a result of the corona pandemic. Companies should assess whether they are eligible to receive compensation under the scheme and prepare the application process.