Pirated copies - new rules for imports

What are pirated copies?

Pirated copies are for example, imitations of goods of a particular trademark, design or patent. They are often cheaper copies of expensive and popular brand name clothing, bags, shoes, make-up, car parts, medicines, telephones, furniture, food, etc.

These products may look almost exactly like the original, and it can be difficult to distinguish genuine goods from counterfeit goods. These products are often sold through online shops, on digital marketplaces or they are marketed in various social media.

What happens if I order pirated goods and they arrive in Norway?

All goods that arrive in Norway from abroad can be removed for inspection by the Norwegian Customs Service.

The purpose of an inspection is to identify pirated copies. If customs suspect that a product is fake, Norwegian Customs will contact the rights-holder of the intellectual property right in question.

If the rightsholder wishes to pursue the case, you will receive a notification from Norwegian Customs. This notice will contain more details about the goods detained, as well as information regarding the further process.

Norwegian Customs can detain your goods when these criteria are met:

• the customs authorities suspect that the goods are pirated copies
• the recipient of the goods is a private person/the consignor of the goods is a commercial enterprise
• the recipient is a registered company/the consignor is a commercial enterprise 

An example of this could be a purchase from a foreign website, or from a seller abroad who has a company or a registered business, or a purchase from a Norwegian company from a private seller abroad.