Annual Technical Report on Industrial Design Information Activities in 2024 submitted by Bulgaria/Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria

Please provide links to your website where the requested information can be found in English, French, or Spanish.  Alternately, you may provide text responses instead of URLs if desired.  If the information is not available on your website in an ATR language, then please provide text.

URLs in responses should meet the following requirements:

The term "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models.

Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

In the framework of harmonization with European Union legislation in the field of industrial designs, and following the finalization of key international and regional instruments, the Bulgarian Patent Office (BPO) achieved significant milestones in 2024.

The Design Law Treaty (DLT) was officially signed during the Diplomatic Conference in November 2024, and the Republic of Bulgaria is now a contracting party. The BPO is actively engaged in the early stages of domestic implementation and legislative alignment. This historic development marks a step forward in the international harmonization of industrial design systems, and Bulgaria has committed to the responsible and timely application of its provisions.

In parallel, the new Regulation (EU) 2024/2822 on Community Designs entered into force, ushering in a series of procedural and substantive changes. The BPO has adapted its internal workflows and databases in accordance with the revised provisions and continues its cooperation with the EUIPO and other national offices in the interpretation and application of the Regulation.

With regard to the new Directive (EU) 2024/2823, the Office has initiated the complex and gradual process of transposing its provisions into national law. Given the scope and depth of the Directive’s impact, this legislative endeavor involves comprehensive legal analysis, inter-institutional coordination, and targeted consultations with stakeholders, including SMEs and legal practitioners. The BPO acknowledges the long-term nature of this task and is committed to ensuring a seamless and legally sound integration of the Directive into Bulgarian law.

Throughout the year, BPO experts and representatives actively participated in the work of WIPO committees, including the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Geographical Indications and Industrial Designs (SCT), the Committee of Experts on the Locarno Classification, and follow-up sessions related to the DLT implementation framework. Bulgaria remains committed to supporting international dialogue and cooperation on industrial design matters.

The Bulgarian Patent Office uses the following databases and tools:

BPO Online – online search tool for national industrial designs. It provides a range of search options including name of applicant or holder, classification (Locarno class, and subclass), application filing date, registration date, application and registration number, etc. The data is connected to the administrative system and database;

IPAS – administrative management system storing the bibliographic data and images of national industrial designs. All the documents are scanned and attached to the electronic dossier of the design;

HAGUE EXPRESS – database to search detailed information on all international industrial designs applied under WIPO's Hague System;

DESIGN view – online industrial design search tool. It is a consultation tool allowing any user to conduct industrial design searches, free of charge, for national, international and Community designs of the databases of all national offices involved in the initiative.

DESIGN class – free online tool to search, translate or classify the product to which an industrial design is applied. DESIGN class is an essential and valuable tool which provides assistance to both users and examiners when the proper class of the Locarno Classification is concerned. DESIGN class consists of databases of each of the offices participating in the initiative;

Publications of information for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – the purpose of this section is to raise SMEs' awareness on industrial property and the institutions related to its protection; to promote the experience of SMEs (both domestic and foreign) for the active use of the industrial property system and to stimulate the innovation activity of SMEs in order to increase their competitiveness in national and international terms.

New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks.

In 2024, continued the maintenance of the registers and information systems of the Bulgarian Patent Office.

Main areas of industrial design information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year.

Information materials were published – official announcements, news related to the activity of the Office, statistical information, information on the state of various projects in which the Office participates, information related to the protection of industrial property and other useful information.

Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and registrations with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes.

In 2024, the Bulgarian Patent Office received in total 130 industrial design applications under national procedure. The applications from domestic applicants are 126 and 4 are foreign.

The BPO has sent 0 applications for international registration of Bulgarian industrial designs under the Protocol to The Hague Agreement.

After the examination procedure, the Office issued 117 positive decisions concerning the grant of industrial design protection rights under national procedure.

Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.

Statistics are accessed at the following URL:

https://www.bpo.bg/en/about/otcheti/godishen-otchet

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) – URLs

The BPO information and support options in 2024 included:

via Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE-784560140/

Availability of the application dossier in electronic form

Customers using the BPO Online have access to the application files sent by them electronically to the Office. Also all the documents related to the application can be seen electronically by the applicant.

Matters concerning classifying

(i) Classification and reclassification activities; classification systems used, e.g., International Classification of product indications to which an industrial design is applied for the Purposes of the Registration of Industrial Design (Locarno Classification

(ii) Use of electronic classification systems and pre-defined terms of the classification applied

Product Indications for the registration of industrial designs are classified by our Office using the International Industrial Design Classification of Locarno in its latest edition. It is maintained and used both on paper and electronically. During the procedure, if necessary, the Office's staff amends the product indication and/or the Locarno class.

Matters concerning processing of different types of non-traditional industrial designs (e.g., three-dimensional, animation, etc.)

Currently, the Office does not accept non-traditional industrial design or designs visually represented by animation or 3D rendered images. However, considering the upcoming changes that are coming with the new Directive, the Office would work towards expanding the technical capabilities of the administrative system.

III. SOURCES OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

The Official bulletin is published electronically twice a month. It may be accessed at: https://portal.bpo.bg/bpo-journal/ .

Since October 2017, the Official Bulletin of the Office is published two times a month. As from April 2009 the paper version of the Bulletin has been discontinued and nowadays it is published exclusively in electronic form on the Office's official website.

The publications in the Official Bulletin comprise bibliographic data and images (in color, if claimed) of national industrial design applications and registrations. Moreover, announcements concerning all entries in the State Industrial Design Register – changes in the legal status, renewals, modifications, cancellations, transfers of rights, license agreements etc., have been published regularly in the Bulletin.

Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external documentation and databases

Internal databases (online/offline):

IPAS – administrative system and database

BPO Online – web-based service for public access to information of the applications and registered industrial designs in BPO.

External databases:

Information products (coverage, medium, etc.) and services available to external users; conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)

BPO Online – https://portal.bpo.bg/

BPO also provides access to industrial design data in the reading room where external users can search in online databases and databases on storage drives.

Paid information services on request available to the public through the Patent Office are as follows: Identity and similarity search; Searches related to the legal status; Searches on names; Complex searches, Number search on industrial design, Search on Registered EU Designs and industrial design under The Hague Agreement and Protocol; Issuing of certificates for legal status;

All the searches are carried in house and in the available collections of national industrial designs, international industrial designs and RCDs, etc. The security is based on a different level of access.

The industrial design information is accessible on the World Wide Web of BPO through the online search system for industrial design – "BPO ONLINE".

The Central Patent Library provides to the public access to the Official Bulletins from foreign countries, to the CD collections and Internet databases containing industrial design information.

Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)

In order to make entries on the legal status of exclusive rights protected on the territory of Bulgaria, every person should submit relevant application and pay a fee to the account of the Office. People (clients, customers, users) can also obtain excerpts from the register.

IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements

Industrial Property Administration System (IPAS) is software developed and owned by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). At the same time, it is constantly being upgraded with new functionalities to facilitate the work of experts in the office.

Document Management System (DMS) is a system used to administer incoming, outgoing and internal documents, while at the same time it is linked to IPAS. It manages correspondence with applicants and other activities related to the work of the office.

Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office

  • Desktop and Laptop Computers – used by employees for daily tasks such as communication, document processing, data entry, etc.
  • Servers – host internal systems, applications, databases, and file storage.
  • Network Equipment – routers, switches, and firewalls ensure secure and stable internet and intranet connectivity.
  • Printers and Scanners – for handling physical documents.
  • VoIP Phones / Communication Devices – for internal and external communication.
  • Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and diesel power generator – to protect critical systems from power outages.
  • External Storage Devices – for backups or data transfer.

Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources

Internal databases are created form IPAS and DMS. Data is extracted and updated simultaneously from the systems. A structured backup regime is in place to ensure preservation of the information.

The systems are connected to external sources such as EPO, WIPO, Espacenet, TMView, etc.

Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file

File Building

The electronic search file includes documents from national applications for all IP objects created by the e-filing system and automatically generated into the back office system as a electronic dossier with application number and any other relative information.

Applications made in paper format from the applicants are also uploaded into the back office systems manually.

Updating

The files are regularly updated via automatic services or manually when needed.

Storage, including mass storage media

All documents are stored on secure servers and external storage devices (backup servers) with backup copies and indexing mechanisms.

Old (paper) dossiers related to IP objects are scanned and processed with OCR and uploaded into internal search tool, making it possible for the experts to search directly into the document text if needed.

Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)

In the field of all IP objects, BPO uses IPAS as an administrative management system which function also like Register system, Legal status module, Statistics module and Administrative support tools.

The system is completely internal resource, with secure user access and audit trails. It updates the data in the public registry via API’s, which helps the applicants and users see public information about the IP objects.

V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION

On 29 March 2024, the Bulgarian Patent Office, in collaboration with the EUIPO and Greek designer John Pan, organized a FightFake fashion show during Sofia Fashion Week, highlighting the dangers of counterfeits in the fashion industry and the value of intellectual property rights. The event targeted a young audience and gathered over 500 participants from the fashion sector. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/vpechatlyavashto-fight-fake-shou-na-sofia-fashion-week-sreshtu-falshifikati-v-modnata-industriya

On 10 April 2024, the Bulgarian Patent Office, in collaboration with the EUIPO, the Fund of Funds, and the Faculty of Economics at Sofia University, under the patronage of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, held a webinar titled “Industrial Property – The Key to a Successful Startup.” The event introduced over 30 startup representatives to trademarks, industrial designs, patents, and utility models as vital tools for innovation and competitiveness. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/patentno-vedomstvo-provede-uebinar-na-tema-industrialnata-sobstvenost-klyuchat-kam-uspeshniya-startap

On 26 April 2024, the Bulgarian Patent Office, in collaboration with the Council on Innovation, Digitalization and New Technologies at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organized a ceremony marking World Intellectual Property Day and awarding the winners of the “Innovative Enterprise 2023” competition. The event, held under the theme “Brighter Future with Innovation and Creativity,” featured expert presentations on industrial property and honored three outstanding Bulgarian companies for their innovation achievements. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/patentno-vedomstvo-i-saveta-po-inovatsii-digitalizatsiya-i-novi-tehnologii-kam-btpp-otbelyazaha-svetovniya-den-na-intelektualnata-sobstvenost

On 27 June 2024, the Bulgarian Patent Office  participated in the Ideas Powered for business webinar, organized by the EUIPO, on the importance of intellectual property for SMEs, featuring expert insights on the connection between SMEs and IP, the SME Fund, IP Scan services, IP enforcement tools, and the Ideas Powered for business platform. The event targeted SMEs and startups and was held online. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/registratsiya-za-uchastie-v-uebinar-znachenieto-na-intelektualnata-sobstvenost-za-msp

On 19 September 2024, the Bulgarian Patent Office presented a webinar for SMEs on the SME Fund and how it supports the protection of industrial property, aiming to help SMEs make the most of the available financial support for IP protection by the end of 2024. The event was held online. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/uebinar-za-msp-zashtitete-svoyata-industrialna-sobstvenost-s-pomoshtta-na-fond-za-msp

On 25 September 2024, the Municipality of Stara Zagora together with the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria organized an “Information Day” to present the project “European Network of Authentic Cities,” co-financed by the EU Intellectual Property Office. The event was held at the Regional Library “Zahariy Knyazheski” in Stara Zagora and aimed at raising public awareness about the benefits of intellectual property and combating counterfeit goods. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/obshtina-stara-zagora-i-patentno-vedomstvo-dadoha-start-na-proekta-evropeyska-mrezha-za-avtentichni-gradove

On 17 October 2024, the Bulgarian Patent Office organized a training seminar for high school students and teachers on the topic “Trade Marks and Industrial Designs as Business Identifiers”, held at the Central Patent Library in Sofia. The event was part of the cooperation agreement with the EUIPO. The training involved over 80 students and teachers from ZPG “Kliment Timiryazev” (Sandanski) and 90th Secondary School “Gen. José de San Martín” (Sofia). Experts from the BPO delivered sessions on trademark and design registration, enforcement and commercialization. A practical session followed, where students worked in teams to create and present business plans and solve IP-related case studies. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/patentno-vedomstvo-provede-obuchenie-za-uchenitsi-i-uchiteli-na-tema-targovskata-marka-i-promishleniyat-dizayn-kato-biznes-identifikatori-na-firmata

On 31 October 2024, the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, together with the Commission for Consumer Protection and the European Consumer Centre – Bulgaria, organized a roundtable on “Internet Scams – The New Pandemic.” The event featured special participation from the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) and focused on topics such as internet fraud, counterfeit goods, unfair commercial practices, and the role of intellectual property in combating these issues. The discussion aimed to raise public awareness and explore potential solutions. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/pokana-za-uchastie-v-kragla-masa-na-tema-izmamite-v-internet-novata-pandemiya

On 26 November 2024, the Patent Office, in cooperation with the Technical University of Sofia, organized a seminar titled “Basics of Industrial Property – Trademarks and Industrial Designs.” Around 200 students from TU-Sofia, UNIBIT, UNSS, HTMU, and VUTP participated in the training delivered by experts from the Patent Office. The seminar covered topics including registration procedures, rights, scope, dispute resolution, and protection of trademarks and industrial designs. The event was held in the “Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov” Hall at the Center for Excellence at TU-Sofia, attracting great interest from the academic community and young innovators eager to learn about intellectual property as a key business asset. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/studenti-ot-tu-sofiya-unibit-unss-htmu-i-vutp-uchastvaha-v-seminara-osnovi-v-industrialnata-sobstvenost-marki-i-promishleni-dizayni

On 12 December 2024, the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria signed a Memorandum of Anderstanding with the University of National and World Economy (UNWE). The agreement, signed by Eng. Olya Dimitrova, President of the Patent Office, and Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of UNWE, aims to strengthen collaboration in intellectual property education and technology transfer. It includes joint initiatives such as student training, public lectures, conferences, internships, information exchange, and collaborative projects. The partnership highlights the importance of developing young professionals in the IP field and fostering close ties between the Patent Office and academic institutions. - https://www.bpo.bg/bg/novini/2024/patentno-vedomstvo-podpisa-memorandum-za-satrudnichestvo-s-unss

VI.INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION

International exchange of industrial design information in machine-readable form (e.g., Official Gazettes)

The activity of the Bulgarian Patent Office in terms of international cooperation is directly related to Bulgaria's membership in international organizations in the field of intellectual property protection – the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Union Office for Intellectual Property (EUIPO). Enhanced bilateral cooperation with institutions in the field of intellectual property of other countries has also been carried out.

Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to industrial design information.

The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Munich, at the European Patent Office headquarters. The agreement aims to establish a framework for regular exchange of information and best practices to support innovation, creativity, and development of national intellectual property systems.

VII. ACTIVITIES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WIPO STANDARDS CONCERNING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION

Note: For each Standard listed below, please enter one of the following values: 

  • "Implemented";
  • "On implementation phase";
  • "Planning to implement";  and
  • "No plan to implement"


WIPO Standard ST.3: Two-letter codes for the representation of states, other entities and organizations

Implemented

WIPO Standard ST.13: Numbering of applications for IPRs

Implemented

WIPO Standard ST.80: Bibliographic data relating to industrial designs

WIPO Standard ST.81: Content and layout of industrial designs gazettes

 WIPO Standard ST.86: Processing of industrial design information using XML

Implemented

WIPO Standard ST.87: The exchange of industrial design legal status data 

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.88: Electronic representation of industrial designs

WIPO Standard ST.90: Recommendation for processing and communicating Intellectual Property data using Web APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)

No plan to implement

WIPO Standard ST.91: Recommendations on digital three-dimensional (3D) models and 3D images

Planning to implement

WIPO Standard ST.96: Processing of Industrial Property information using XML

No plan to implement

Other WIPO Standards Related to Patents

Note: Please list any other WIPO Standards related to patents (not mentioned above) that your Office or Organization has implemented, is currently in the process of implementing, or plans to implement in the future.  For each Standard, please indicate the implementation status with an option: Implemented, On implementation Phase or Planning to Implement. 

VIII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS

N/A