A trademark is a sign that distinguishes the goods or services of one person from those of others. Such signs may be words, letters, numbers, drawings, figures, the shape of the product or its packaging, colors, sounds or any combination of such signs.

The trademark helps to create business distinctiveness and has the ability to build consumer loyalty and emotional attachment of consumers to the company's products.

The term of validity of a registered trademark is 10 years from the date of filing the application, after which it can be renewed for a new period of 10 years upon payment of state fees.

The right to a trademark is an exclusive right, which includes the right of its proprietor to use it, to assign or license it and to prohibit third parties from using it without his consent. A basic rule for an enterprise is to maintain the protection of the trademark it owns, as long as it manages to generate profit for its owner and is used in the relevant market.

National trademark (for the territory of Bulgaria)

The national trademark is registered with the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and has effect on the territory of Bulgaria.

In order to start the trademark registration procedure, it is necessary to send an image of the logo selected by the applicant in jpg or similar format (in cases where the trademark is not verbal).

European trademark

The European trademark is registered with the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), Alicante, Spain and is valid in all EU Member States (currently 27 countries).

The application can be submitted in any of the EU languages. One application and registration fee is paid, and the examination is carried out by only one department.

International trademark

An international trademark is registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, specifying the countries of your choice, including the entire territory of the EU.

For registration of an international trademark it is necessary to have the so-called "Basic application" or "basic registration", i.e. an application for registration of a national trademark should first be filed with the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria (for example) or a European Union trademark before EUIPO, and the priority of the international registration will be from the date of submission of the national or European application.

Term of protection

The term of protection of a national, European or international trademark is 10 years from the date of filing the application, after which it can be renewed for a new period of 10 years upon payment of the relevant state fees.