Design

Design in Bulgaria

Industrial design is the visible appearance of a product or part of a product, determined by the features, shape, lines, pattern, ornaments, colour combination or combination thereof.

The exclusive right to a design is acquired through registration with the Patent Office.
Bulgaria uses the Locarno classification.

Several designs may be filed in one multiple application upon the condition that the designs belong to one and the same class of the International Classification (Locarno classification) or to one set of products.

Requirements for registration of industrial design:
• Novelty
• Originality

The legal protection is determined by the images of the registered industrial design.

The period of validity of the registration of an industrial design is ten years from the date of submission of the application and may be renewed for three consecutive periods of five years each up to total 25 years.

The registration of an industrial design has a territorial effect.

Filing requirements

1. The name and the address of the applicant/applicants.
2. The name and the address of the designer/designers.
3. The images of the design/designs in electronic format, multiple application is possible only in case where all designs belong to one class of Locarno classification.
4. Priority document (if any).
5. Power of Attorney (if applicable).

Certificate is issued in electronic form only.

Design in EU

EU Designs marks give protection in all Member States of the European Union (currently 27 Member States).

A registered Community design is initially valid for five years from the date of filing and can be renewed in blocks of five years up to a maximum of 25 years.

The benefits of registering an EU trade mark are:
an RCD is easy to register - one application, one language of filing, one file to manage.
RCD registration offers the possibility to file multiple applications (i.e. to include several designs in one application, as well as variations of the same design).

Filing requirements
1. The name and the address of the applicant/applicants.
2. The name and the address of the designer/designers.
3. The images of the design/designs in electronic format, multiple application is possible only in case where all designs belong to one class of Locarno classification.
4. Priority document (if any).
The time from filing until registration is approximately 1 month.
Certificate is issued in electronic form only.