Registration of industrial designs in Bulgaria – Every company that owns an industrial design and plans to expand its business in the Bulgarian market should use the Bulgarian intellectual property system. It is of paramount importance for businesses to file an industrial design application in Bulgaria for industrial designs, even if the launch of the respective product in the Bulgarian market has not yet commenced.
Requirements for application for registration of industrial designs in Bulgaria
The official language when registering an industrial design at the Bulgarian Intellectual Property Office (BPO) is English. Design applications may be filed in any language; however, an English translation certified by the applicant or translator must be submitted at the time of application. This requirement is not applicable to text forming part of an industrial design.
The deadline for filing an industrial design application in Bulgaria claiming priority usually is six months from the priority date. An extension of this time limit is not specified.
The following information and documents need to be provided in the application for registration of an industrial design in Bulgaria:
- requirements for registration of industrial designs in Bulgaria;
- name, address, and nationality of the applicant, business address;
- industrial design name;
- information on priority rights (if any);
- proof of payment of the respective fees.
if novelty is claimed in a particular part of the design, a description of the aspect of the novelty will be required.
Priority claims must be made at the time of application or within 2 months after the date of application. The priority document must be filed within three months of filing the industrial design application in Bulgaria. Translations into Bulgarian are not usually required by the BPO.
Formal legalization of power of attorney (POA) is not required. The signed and stamped POA form (if any) must be filed within two months of filing the industrial design application.
Examination of industrial design applications in Bulgaria
Industrial design applications in Bulgaria only go through a formal examination.
Validity period and renewal of industrial designs in Bulgaria
The renewal period for novelty is 12 months if the disclosure is made directly or indirectly by the author of the design, or by a third party with malicious intent.
The validity period of an industrial design in Bulgaria is 10 years from the date of application, renewable 3 times within a period of 5 years upon payment of the renewal fee. The renewal fee is payable on the anniversary of the application’s filing date and may be paid within the last year of the validity period. Late payment with a corresponding surcharge is possible up to 6 months after the due date.
Represented by an industrial design registration attorney
An international applicant for an industrial design registration in Bulgaria should conduct an industrial design search in Bulgaria through a law firm, or a lawyer with expertise in industrial design.
You can find the list of Bulgaria IP firms here.