Bulgaria

The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria is the national intellectual property office responsible for the protection of intellectual property rights within the country. It oversees a wide range of services including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications, plant variety rights, and topographies of semiconductor products. The office is committed to providing a legal framework that fosters innovation and creativity by ensuring the rights of inventors, creators, and businesses are protected. It also plays a role in IP searches and tech watch, assisting in the enforcement of IP rights and contributing to the development of intellectual property policies in Bulgaria. Main functions of the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria： performs expertise and makes decisions on the protection of industrial property objects; grants patents for inventions and certificates for registration of utility models; certificates for industrial designs, trademarks, service marks, appellations of origin and other protective documents for the protection of industrial property; •resolves disputes; represents the country in certain international industrial property organizations and carries out international cooperation in this field, including for conducting research and expertise for industrial property objects; carries out the publications and issues a bulletin and carries out international exchange of patent documents, creates and maintains information systems for the objects of industrial property and provides information services for these objects; •issues ordinances and instructions within the competence of the Patent Office and proposes tariffs for the activities and services performed by the Office; •keeps the state registers for the protected objects of industrial property; •provides training and education in the field of industrial property; •informs the public in the field of industrial property and promotes the legal protection of industrial property and innovation.