Trademark registration in Bulgaria. Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe and lies on the eastern flank of the Balkans. Bulgaria covers a territory of 110,994 square kilometers (42,855 sq mi) and is the sixteenth-largest country in Europe. When doing business in Bulgaria, it is necessary to know how to register trademark in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria has an open, upper-middle-income range market economy where the private sector accounts for more than 70% of GDP. Therefore, Bulgaria is a favorable destination for businesses that want to expand their company’s market globally. To do that, businesses need to know the procedures of trademark registration in Bulgaria in order to own for themselves a unique trademark to conduct businesses.
Signs appliable to Trademark registration in Bulgaria
Signs that can be represented graphically will be appliable to trademark registration in Bulgaria. Such signs may include words, personal names, or letters, numerals, drawings, figures, the shape of goods or their packaging, a combination of colors, sound signals, or any combination of the above elements.
Required documents for trademark registration in Bulgaria
- The application form includes the name and address of the applicant;
- The model of the mark;
- List of goods and/or services;
- Priority document (If any). The priority document must be submitted within two months from the date of trademark registration in Bulgaria (The translation into Bulgarian is not usually requested by BPO).
Note:
- The term for filing a trademark registration in Bulgaria claiming conventional priority is six months from the priority date. The extension of this term is not stipulated. Furthermore, official legalization is not required. However, a signed and stamped Power of Attorney (POA) form must be submitted within two months from notification.
- Foreign applicants must file the trademark registration in Bulgaria through an agent, a registered trademark attorney in Bulgaria.
The opposition for trademark registration in Bulgaria
Within three months from the publication of the trademark, any related parties may file grounded opposition against the Bulgarian trademark registration.
Trademark certificate, validity, renewal, and cancellation of trademark registration in Bulgaria
The Grant fee is to be paid within one month from the date of the registration. The trademark in Bulgaria has a validity period of 10 years starting from the date of filing.
Trademark in Bulgaria may be renewed for 10 years indefinitely. The renewal fees may be paid during the last year of the protection period or within six months after the end of the validity period by payment of the extra fee.
In case a registered trademark in Bulgaria is not used in this territory within five years from filing, the registration may be canceled unless there are legitimate reasons for non-use of the trademark.
Important notes
- Trademark protection in Bulgaria may also be obtained via registration of a European Union Trademark.
- The time limit for responding to an international registration provisional refusal in Bulgaria is 3 months.
- The time limit starts on the date when the applicant receives notification from WIPO. The date of receipt must be confirmed by providing some sort of evidence like a postmark.
- The language of the response is Bulgarian. It is necessary to appoint a local representative, a Bulgarian patent attorney, for responding to the provisional refusal.
You can find a list of Bulgaria IP firms here.