The Swedish Patent and Registration Office
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) is Sweden's statutory IP authority, granting patents and registering trademarks and designs for SMEs, entrepreneurs, and IP professionals since 1885, supplemented by fee-based PRV Consulting search services and open data infrastructure.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1885
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Swedish Patent and Registration Office does
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV, Patent- och registreringsverket) is the Swedish government agency responsible for administering intellectual property rights, operating since 1885 under the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. Headquartered in Stockholm with a secondary office in Söderhamn, PRV grants national patents, registers trademarks and designs, provides copyright guidance, and serves as a PCT receiving office for international filings. Its customer base spans SMEs and individual entrepreneurs (accounting for nearly half of 2025 patent applications), IP professionals, students/researchers, and a growing defense and security segment served via partnerships with SOFF and ISP. The agency employs 501-1,000 staff, including over 110 patent examiners covering all technical classification areas, and has operated a consulting arm (PRV Consulting) since 1947 offering novelty, validity, and freedom-to-operate searches.
PRV's technology stack centers on a suite of digital public-service infrastructure: an e-services portal for patent, trademark, and design filings; searchable national patent, trademark, and design databases integrated with Espacenet, DesignView, eSearch Plus, and Hague Express; the PRV Information Secure (PIS) encrypted exchange for consulting assignments; and the data.prv.se Open Data Portal publishing full-text patent XML, bibliographic data, and trademark/design gazette exports under CC0 and CC BY 4.0 licenses. Weekly Svensk Patenttidning and daily online Svensk Varumärkestidning and Svensk Designtidning constitute the official record. PRV is a member of the global IP infrastructure through formal partnerships with EPO, WIPO, and EUIPO.
Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: transaction-based application and registration fees (e.g., 2,000 SEK design filing via e-service, multi-year renewal cycles for trademarks up to 10 years and designs up to 25 years) combined with fee-based PRV Consulting services at 1,200-1,700 SEK/hr and fixed prices for novelty (15,000 SEK) and pre-file searches (2,800 SEK). The agency is self-financing through service fees supplemented by government appropriations, has no private shareholders, and operates under a statutory monopoly with no direct private-sector competitors in Sweden.
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Swedish Patent and Registration Office
- Legal name
- Patent- och registreringsverket
- Website
- https://prv.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1885
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- The Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) is Sweden's statutory IP authority, granting patents and registering trademarks and designs for SMEs, entrepreneurs, and IP professionals since 1885, supplemented by fee-based PRV Consulting search services and open data infrastructure.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Intellectual Property Services
- NAICS
- Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533)
- SIC
- Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reputation Management & Online PR (BPAFADAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- PR, Reputation Management & Earned Media Platforms (BPAMALAO)
Keywords
Where The Swedish Patent and Registration Office is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Application and Registration Fees: PRV generates revenue through fees charged for processing patent applications, trademark registrations, design registrations, and related services. Fees vary by service type and number of items.
- Consulting Services: PRV Consulting offers search services including novelty searches, technical searches, validity searches, and freedom-to-operate searches. Revenue is generated through hourly rates (1700 SEK/hour for patents, 1200 SEK/hour for trademarks and design) and fixed prices for specific services like novelty search at 15000 SEK.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Design registration application |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Patent novelty search |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Trademark pre-file search |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Patent consulting services |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Trademark and design consulting |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PRV is Sweden's national intellectual property office, granting and registering patents, trademarks, and designs, and providing copyright guidance. The agency offers fee-based consulting through PRV Consulting for novelty, validity, and freedom-to-operate searches, and supports customers through digital e-services, searchable databases, and an open data platform.
Product overview
PRV (Patent- och Registreringsverket) is Sweden's intellectual property office offering a comprehensive portfolio of IP services. The core offerings include Patent Services, Trademark Services, Design Services, and Copyright guidance. Supporting these are specialized sub-products including PRV Consulting (fee-based search and analysis services), PRV Information Secure (secure document exchange), multiple gazette publications (Svensk Patenttidning, Svensk Varumärkestidning, Svensk Designtidning) now available online, comprehensive databases for patents, trademarks, and designs, an Open Data Portal providing machine-readable datasets, and PRV School Online offering free digital courses on intellectual property. The organization also maintains a physical/digital library and provides guidance on innovation procurement. PRV serves entrepreneurs, IP professionals, and students/researchers through e-services, databases, consulting, and educational programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Patent Services End-to-end patent registration and management services, including Swedish national patent applications, PCT international patent applications via WIPO, European patent validations, novelty searches, technical searches, validity searches, and freedom-to-operate analyses, along with renewals and maintenance. Services target inventors, SMEs, and IP professionals.
- Trademark Services Trademark registration and management including Swedish national trademark applications, international Madrid system registrations, pre-file searches, monitoring, renewals, transfers, and licensing. Renewable every 10 years; intended for businesses, brand owners, and IP professionals.
- Design Services Registration services protecting the appearance of products, including Swedish design applications, EU design registrations via EUIPO, international Hague system registrations, renewals, and transfers, with protection up to 25 years. Targets product designers, manufacturers, and brand owners.
- Copyright Guidance Guidance and educational resources on copyright protection for artistic works including music, film, literature, and photographs (arising automatically), covering streaming legality, infringement handling, and copyright for AI-generated images. Intended for creators, businesses, and consumers.
- PRV Consulting (Konsulttjänster) Fee-based professional search and analysis services including novelty searches (15,000 SEK fixed), technical searches, validity searches, freedom-to-operate analyses, patent monitoring, patentability assessments, and portfolio analysis for patents, trademarks, and designs. Operated by PRV examiners at hourly rates of 1,700 SEK (patents) and 1,700 SEK (trademarks/design). Serving inventors, SMEs, IP professionals, and corporations globally via PRV Information Secure.
- Open Data Portal (data.prv.se) Machine-readable open data catalog providing access to Swedish patent fulltext XML (from 2018+), bibliographic data (from 2019+), OCR text (1973-2017), trademark database exports, Swedish Patent Gazette, Swedish Trademark Gazette, and Swedish Design Gazette under CC0 and CC BY 4.0 licenses, available via FTP server (ftp://opendata.prv.se) and aggregation through Sveriges dataportal and European Data Portal.
- PRV School Online (PRV-skolan) Free digital educational courses on intellectual property covering patents, trademarks, designs, copyright, business opportunities, AI and copyright, streaming, and game development. Includes PRV-skolan basic course and specialized courses for SMEs, students, and creators. Delivered via the Learnifier platform.
- IP Scan for SMEs IP review service for small and medium enterprises coordinated by PRV under EUIPO's SME Fund, where advisors examine business model, products, and growth plans to identify intellectual property assets. Available to qualifying Swedish SMEs through EU funding support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Swedish patent applications increased by 13% in 2025
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Swedish Patent and Registration Office
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- European Patent Office (EPO)coreEPO is a major international partner providing access to patent databases, search tools (AbS), and collaborative services. PRV operates as a PCT authority, facilitating international patent filings through EPO systems.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)coreWIPO is the UN agency for intellectual property. PRV collaborates on international trademark registrations (Madrid system), design registrations (Hague system), and provides data to WIPO databases.
- European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)coreEUIPO is the EU agency for trademarks and designs. PRV collaborates on EU trademark and design registrations, provides access to DesignView database, and participates in EU SME Fund programs.
- Swedish Forum for Innovation in Safety and Security (SOFF)minorCollaboration on civil-military innovation training, providing IP guidance for innovative startups and SMEs in the defense and security sector.
- Inspectorate of Strategic Products (ISP)minorPartnership on providing training about defense inventions, IP rules, and regulations for investment and export in civil-military innovation.
- Cooperation Fund (EUIPO)minorCollaboration on development of e-services for design registration, working with the Cooperation Fund for modernizing IP service delivery.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): USPTO is the national IP office of the United States, granting patents and registering trademarks — the most direct functional peer to PRV at a national level. Both serve as the exclusive authority for domestic IP rights grant and operate examining examiner corps with similar mandate.
- European Patent Office (EPO): EPO grants European patents across EPO member states and is a core international partner of PRV for searches and PCT filings. EPO directly competes with PRV's national patent work for any applicant seeking multi-country protection.
- European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO): EUIPO registers EU trademarks and designs with effect across all EU member states. PRV explicitly coordinates with EUIPO on Madrid and Hague filings and EU SME Fund programs, and EUIPO is a direct alternative filing route for Swedish applicants.
- UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO): UK IPO is the national IP office for the United Kingdom with the same mandate as PRV — granting patents and registering trademarks and designs. It is a closely comparable national office serving an English-speaking, common-law-adjacent jurisdiction.
- German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA): DPMA is Germany's national IP office and one of the largest in Europe by filing volume. It is structurally analogous to PRV, offering patent, trademark, and design registration with a large examiner corps and reference services used by PRV (German Patent Classification / DPK).
- Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (INPI France): INPI France is France's national IP office handling patents, trademarks, designs, and increasingly copyright-adjacent services. It is a direct functional peer of PRV with a comparable mandate in another major EU member state.
- Japan Patent Office (JPO): JPO is Japan's national IP office and one of the world's largest patent offices by volume. It performs the same examination, grant, and registration functions as PRV and participates in the same PCT and Madrid international systems.
- China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA): CNIPA is China's national IP authority for patents, trademarks, and designs, and is the world's largest patent office by filing volume. It is structurally a direct peer of PRV as the national IP registrar for a major jurisdiction.
- Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO): KIPO is the national IP office of South Korea with examination, registration, and international cooperation functions directly analogous to PRV. KIPO participates in the same PCT and Madrid frameworks as PRV.
Broad incumbents
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): WIPO is the UN agency that administers the PCT, Madrid, and Hague international IP systems. PRV is a contracting party and receiving office within WIPO's frameworks, and WIPO is the global superordinate body to which PRV's work ultimately routes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office social profiles
Digital presenceThe Swedish Patent and Registration Office compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Swedish Patent and Registration Office
What does The Swedish Patent and Registration Office do?
PRV is Sweden's national intellectual property office, granting and registering patents, trademarks, and designs, and providing copyright guidance. The agency offers fee-based consulting through PRV Consulting for novelty, validity, and freedom-to-operate searches, and supports customers through digital e-services, searchable databases, and an open data platform.
Is The Swedish Patent and Registration Office a public or private company?
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was The Swedish Patent and Registration Office founded?
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office was founded in 1885. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is The Swedish Patent and Registration Office based?
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does The Swedish Patent and Registration Office make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Application and Registration Fees are the primary driver. The others are consulting Services.
Who are The Swedish Patent and Registration Office's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO), German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (INPI France), Japan Patent Office (JPO), China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Swedish Patent and Registration Office have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Swedish Patent and Registration Office.
What industry is The Swedish Patent and Registration Office in?
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office's product category is Intellectual Property Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFADAN, Reputation Management & Online PR, with a secondary code of BPAMALAO, PR, Reputation Management & Earned Media Platforms. Its NAICS code is 533 and its SIC code is 6794.