Intermediary AS has completed a formal patentability review of its automated company registration concept, conducted by the European patent law firm Bryn Aarflot AS. The review assessed whether the concept meets the core patentability criteria of novelty, inventive step, and eligibility under applicable subject-matter rules.

The concept under review relates to an automated and user-friendly process for setting up a company, particularly designed to support foreign entities establishing operations in Norway. The solution focuses on collecting required information through a single online interface and using that data to populate official registration forms, with the aim of significantly reducing time, complexity and manual handling in the incorporation process.

According to the review, no novelty-destroying prior art was identified, and several aspects of the concept were considered to demonstrate novelty. In particular, the combination of an end-to-end automated flow, support for foreign users without Norwegian identification numbers, and the structured handling of legal and financial sign-off were highlighted as distinguishing features compared to existing solutions.

At the same time, the review concluded that the concept, in its current form, would be unlikely to meet the threshold for a granted patent due to challenges related to inventive step and excluded subject matter. Automated form population and business process digitisation were assessed as potentially obvious implementations of known techniques, and several elements fall within categories that are not typically patentable under European practice, such as methods of doing business and presentation of information.

The report outlines alternative strategies for protecting the concept, including maintaining key elements as trade secrets, strengthening brand and interface protection, and continuing to monitor the solution for future technical developments that could give rise to patentable features. Areas such as authentication methods, system integration with public registries, and advanced handling of foreign-language data were identified as potential candidates for future reassessment.

The completion of the patentability review provides a structured foundation for informed decision-making around intellectual property strategy. Rather than relying on assumptions, the assessment enables a pragmatic approach to protection, balancing innovation, commercial development and regulatory realities.