Bulgaria IP: Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs, Copyright and Domain Names

Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries. It borders five other countries: Romania to the north (mostly along the River Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.

Currently Bulgaria functions as a parliamentary democracy under a unitary constitutional republic. A member of the European Union since 2007 and of NATO since 2004, it has a population of approximately 7.6 million. Bulgaria has a high HDI.

General Information

Capital:

Sofia

Population:

7.6 Million

Languages:

Bulgarian

Government Type:

Parliamentary Republic

Dialing Code:

+359

Timezone:

GMT +2

Monetary Unit:

Lev3 (BGN)

More information:

Bulgaria

International Arrangements

WIPO Convention
Paris Convention (Industrial Property)
Berne Convention (Literary and Artistic Works)
PCT (Patents)
Madrid Agreement (False or Deceptive Indications of Source on Goods)
Madrid Agreement (International Registration of Marks)
Madrid Protocol (International Registration of Marks)
Hague Agreement (International Deposit of Industrial Designs)
Nice Agreement (International Classification of Goods and Services)
Lisbon Agreement (Appellations of Origin)
Locarno Agreement (International Classification for Industrial Designs)
Strasbourg Agreement (International Patent Classifications)
Rome Convention (Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations),
Geneva Convention (Unauthorized Duplication of Phonograms)
Vienna Agreement (International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks)
Budapest Treaty (Deposit of Micro-organisms)
Nairobi Treaty (Olympic Symbol)
WCT (WIPO Copyright Treaty)
WPPT (WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty)
WTO: Member and Signatory to TRIPS Agreement
Member of BSEC
Member of UCC
Member of UPOV

Patents

Types of patents:
- Patents of Invention
- Patents of PCT

Filing requirements:
- A Power of attorney simply signed
- Full particulars of the applicant and inventor(s)
- Specifications, claims, abstract and drawings in English
- A Certified copy of the priority document (in the event priority is to be claimed)
- A Photocopy of the Priority filing receipt

Granting:
10 Years from the date of Application

Renewals:
Within 12 months before expiry.

Trademarks

Filing requirements:
- Power of attorney simply signed
- Mark and list of goods/services
- Five prints of the mark (7 x 7 cm)
- Details of the applicant
- Certified copy of priority document if priority is to be claimed

Granting:
Ten years from the filing date;

Renewals:
Periods of ten years

Designs and Models

Filing requirements:
- Power of attorney
- As many photos or drawings necessary to obtain an exact idea of the design
- 5 copies of each of the views according to point 2
- Brief description of the design, only by initiative of the applicant
- Priority document, if applicable

Granting:
- Ten years from the filing date

Renewals:
- For three consecutive periods of five years each

Copyrights

Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works

As a member of the Berne Convention, it is possible to copyright protect creative works in this country, as well as all the other member nations automatically (more than 160 countries), with one single application.

For more information and to submit us your works for worldwide copyright protection, click here.

Domain Names

Domain extension:

.bg

Requirements:
-Your domain can be registered in a ”protected” form if the name of the owner is the same as the name of the .bg domain you would like to register, or if you have a registered trademark in Bulgaria or in the European Union with the same name as the domain you would like to register.

More information

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For the best current charges, please consult us.

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Bulgaria IP: Trademarks, Patents, Industrial Designs, Copyright and Domain Names