Iceland

Arnason Faktor is the largest and most specialised IP practice firm in Iceland, with 21 employees and extensive experience and expertise in all fields of intellectual property. Through national and international cooperation, and with a tight-knit professional team of highly qualified administrative staff, the firm is well prepared to serve both international and domestic clients alike and dedicated to offering the best possible IP services in Iceland.

Arnason Faktor traces its roots back to 1969 and has been a pioneer in the promotion of IP protection in Iceland. Led by its five partners, the firm continues on the path shaped by its founding companies, constantly striving for excellence and evolving to meet the needs of its strong client base, and future clients.

Industry sector strengths and social responsibility

The firm prides itself on working with local industries in all fields – including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, medical services, renewable energy, food processing and marine technology – and works closely with the local universities. We emphasise supporting the start-up community, and assisting clients in building up their IP portfolios, while at the same time helping companies advancing into the international venue.

Our partners administer and lecture in the field of IP at the national universities, along with having the pleasure of educating the general market in the field of IP, frequently speaking at seminars, conferences, and similar events. Our aim is to offer a high-quality IP rights consulting service, including an IP rights-based business development consultancy.

The local and international environment

To strengthen our expertise and the knowledge of our employees, we put emphasis on working both for the local industry and foreign clients. In fact, we work for the local industry both locally and internationally, as we service international clients both in Iceland and on the international level. We take special pride in representing both local and international clients before the EUIPO and EPO.

Firm’s working culture

The key to our success is our employees. Maintaining a good working culture is therefore crucial in our opinion. We take pride in having an unusually low employee turnover rate. 

IP practice specialisations

Arnason Faktor is one of the few firms in Iceland solely specialising in IP, providing both contentious and non-contentious services. It is our firm belief that the field of IP in general requires a special focus and experience, and that understanding the field as a whole is crucial to serving our clients in the best possible manner. 

Our professionals are specialised within the legal, scientific, and technical disciplines, as well as the humanities. We offer extensive services in the field of intellectual property in Icelandic, English, German, and the Scandinavian languages.

IP policing, litigation and due diligence

We assist our clients with any kind of contentious work in the field of IP, including enforcement matters, strategies, and preparation for and bringing IP cases throughout the litigation process. We have built up extensive experience in the field, which entails seeing cases through to the Supreme Court, along with handling cases before the European Free Trade Association court.

We perform due diligence on IP rights for all purposes, including any kinds of IP transaction, M&A, and IP report for larger corporations, and our specialists advise on licensing and negotiating agreements.

The conjoined trademark and legal department is headed by Ms Ásdís Magnúsdóttir, who is an accomplished litigator with over 20 years of experience in IP matters in private practice. She is an attorney-at-law and holds an LLM in new science, technology and law from Stanford Law School in California. Ásdís is also an adjunct at the Department of Law at Reykjavik University, where she teaches IP law.