▁foreign ▁ownership ▁of ▁Norwegian ▁companies . ▁The ▁limit ▁was ▁raised ▁to ▁forty - n ine ▁percent , ▁but ▁this ▁was ▁regarded ▁by ▁N D ▁as ▁too ▁low , ▁so ▁they ▁split ▁the ▁ownership ▁into ▁A - ▁and ▁B - sh ares , ▁with ▁and ▁without ▁voting ▁rights . ▁With ▁this ▁change , ▁Norwegian ▁authorities ▁permitted ▁an ▁eight y ▁percent ▁foreign ▁ownership ▁in ▁the ▁company , ▁but ▁only ▁the ▁non - v oting ▁B ▁shares ▁were ▁permitted ▁to ▁be ▁listed ▁on ▁NAS DA Q . ▁The ▁initial ▁public ▁offering ▁brought ▁in ▁N OK   4 0 0 ▁million ▁in ▁capital . ▁ ▁Nor sk ▁Data ▁started ▁a ▁co operation ▁with ▁Diet z ▁Computer ▁Systems ▁for ▁distribution ▁of ▁N D ▁computers ▁in ▁Germany . ▁N D ▁became ▁a ▁majority ▁share holder ▁in ▁July ▁ 1 9 8 3 ▁and ▁the ▁following ▁year ▁Diet z ▁was ▁merged ▁into ▁N D . ▁By ▁ 1 9 8 5 ▁Diet z ' ▁plant ▁was ▁producing ▁N D ▁systems ▁and ▁their ▁old ▁systems ▁taken ▁off ▁the ▁market . ▁On ▁ 3 0 ▁October ▁ 1 9 8 4 ▁N D ▁and ▁Mat ra ▁signed ▁an ▁agreement ▁where ▁the ▁latter ▁would ▁dist ribute ▁N D ▁computers ▁in ▁France . ▁ ▁The ▁company ▁pe aked ▁its ▁financial ▁performance ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 6 . ▁That ▁year ▁Dat am ation ▁ranked ▁it ▁the ▁world ' s ▁ 7 5 th ▁largest ▁information ▁technology ▁company , ▁and ▁the ▁world ' s ▁ 1 3 th ▁largest ▁min ic om put er ▁manufact