Registration of a Trademark in Bulgaria

1. Fill in the details for the future trademark according to the form below and pay the attorney’s fee – currently, you can pay by bank transfer.

2. We will contact you within 1 working day. We will conduct a legal consultation and clarify all the details at a convenient day and time for both parties and after that we will start working on the service performance.
We prepare a list of goods/services about which your trademark will be filed for registration and, if necessary, send it to you for final approval.

3. As your industrial property representative we submit your application to the Patent Office.

We send you the confirmation of the trademark application filed along with a power of attorney for the application and instructions for the amount and the payment details for the state fee for the application to the Patent Office. You review and sign the power of attorney. Notarization is not required. If the trademark application is on behalf of a company, you also affix the seal of the company. You pay the application fee to the bank account of the Patent Office according to our instructions.

4. You return the signed power of attorney and a copy of the payment order for the state filing fee. This easiest way for doing that is by scanning them and sending them to us by e-mail. You can also deliver them to us in person at the address of the law office or send it via courier service.

5. The registration of your trademark undergoes examination and publication at the Patent Office. If your assistance is needed and requested by the Patent Office for any clarifications on the application, we will notify you.
We inform you of objections or oppositions from earlier rightholders, if any are filed. We inform you of the consequences of such and possible actions for protection.

6. Upon successful completion of the examination at the Patent Office, we will send you instructions for paying the state fees to the Patent Office for the release of the registration certificate. You pay the fees to the Patent Office’s bank account according to our instructions.

7. Your trademark is registered and protected for the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. We send you the decision and the registration certificate in original by post.

You can learn more about the terms of service in the section “OUR COMMITMENT” below.

Our commitment includes:
• Legal consultation on the protection of your rights. This can be done through a personal meeting at our office, by phone or video call as well;
The consultation includes a preliminary general check for identical or similar earlier trademarks/applications in the official online databases of the Patent Office, EUIPO, and WIPO.

• Preparation of all the necessary documents for trademark registration application. This includes the application itself, list of goods/services, power of attorney, calculation of the state fee due, payment instructions, applications for implementing the instructions of the Patent Office during the registration process.

• Filing the documents with the Patent Office and tracing the application to the end of the registration.

• Monitoring the deadline for trademark protection and sending a reminder email to you about the expiration of the protection period.

Our commitment does not include:
• Consultation on accounting issues or preparation of documents that do not have a legal character;
• Legal representation in objection procedures, oppositions, requests for cancellation and revocation of trademarks and other disputes regarding their registration – for such services, we can offer you a personalized offer.
• Full and detailed investigation for existing rightholders of identical or similar trademarks – for these services, we can offer you a personalized offer.
• Creating documents for trademark renewal. For these services, we will offer you an a personalized offer with a reminder email for the expiration of the trademark protection protection period.

Submitting a request for the service is equivalent to entering into a contract for legal protection and assistance with attorney Hristo Raychev. This obliges us to perform the service for you, provided that you have paid the attorney’s fee and submitted all the necessary documents and information.

What expenses will there be in addition to the attorney’s fee?

For filing an application for trademark registration in Bulgaria, a state fee is paid to the Patent Office which amounts to 520 BGN. This fee refers to maximum 3 (three) classes of goods/services in one application. Regarding fourth and subsequent classes of goods/services, if any, an additional state fee is due – 30 BGN per class. Upon their successful registration, an additional state fee is due for a certificate release amounting to 50 BGN . Thus, the total amount of state fees for 3 (three) classes of goods/services is 570 BGN.

Service performance Timeframe

We apply for the trademark at the Patent Office within 2 business days of the receipt of all necessary documents and information, unless we have agreed on a different deadline. Your rights as a trademark applicant arise from the date of filing the application. The entire trademark registration procedure at the Patent Office typically takes 6-9 months. Exceptions are the cases of disputes with holders of erlier rights.

Confidentiality obligation
Any information that you have provided for the performance of the service, including such provided through email and phone communication, shal be deemed confidential and it should not be subject to disclosure under the Attorney Act (except for the information that is part of public records).

What should the trademark be like?

The trademark must be distinctive. It should not consist solely of a description of the goods/services for which it will be applied. The trademark must not contradict morality and public order. If you are aware of an existing trademark that is identical or very similar to yours and is used by your competitor for similar goods/services, we would recommend choosing another trademark or contacting us for consultation. After requesting our service and providing us with information about the trademark you would like to register, you will be duly informed of all other requirements.

What do the goods/services and the classes which the trademark applied refer to, are?

Each registration of a trademark in Bulgaria is made for specific goods and services that the holder intends to use it for. The goods and services have names established. They are grouped according to their essence and character into classes. According to the International Classification of Goods and Services (ICGS), such groups, for
example, might be Cosmetics, Cleaning products, Milk and dairy products, etc. Based on the information you have provided, we will prepare a list of goods and services and arrange them into the corresponding classes. The state fee payable for the trademark registration depends on the number of classes for which it is applied. Once the trademark is applied for, the list of goods/services it refers to cannot be expanded by adding new ones. We strive to build up an optimal list of goods and services for you, providing sufficient protection against unjustified expenses and minimizing the risks of claims from participants in sectors where you have no real business interest.

How does the trademark registration procedure proceed?
After filing the application for your trademark, the Patent Office performs a formal examination and a substantive examination of the application to verify its compliance with the legal requirements. At this stage, the list of goods/services for which the trademark is applied is also being checked, and the Patent Office may provide instructions for its correction. At the next stage, the trademark application is published, and holders of earlier rights in identical or similar trademarks are given the opportunity to oppose the registration by filing an opposition to the application. In case an opposition is filed, a dispute develops before the Patent Office and their decision might be appealed, including in court. In the absence of oppositions or if the filed oppositions are rejected, the trademark is registered by the Patent Office, and the registration is published.

What rights does my trademark grant me?

Your trademark grants you exclusive rights. It is you that can only use the trademark or similar signs for the same goods/services, and the exploitation of the trademark by other persons for these goods/services requires your prior consent (otherwise, it constitutes an infringement of your trademark rights, and you have legal instruments for protection). You can prohibit anyone else from using your trademark or similar signs for the corresponding goods/services. Your registered trademark also facilitates you in several other areas, including in providing better protection of your reserved domain name, if you conduct online activities.

How long is my trademark protected and which countries does the protection apply in?

Your trademark is protected for 10 years from the date of filing its application. During these 10 years, you do not owe any additional state fees for the protection of your trademark. The protection period of the trademark can be renewed indefinitely for 10-year periods by submitting a renewal application and paying the corresponding state fee.
The trademark registered with the Patent Office provides protection in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.