An industrial design is the visible appearance of a product or part of a product, determined by the features that give it the lines, contours, shape, texture and / or materials of the product and / or its ornamentation. A product is any product obtained by industrial or artisanal means, including parts intended to be assembled into a composite product, set or composition of products, packaging, graphic symbols and printed fonts, with the exception of computer programs.

The right to an industrial design is an exclusive right, which includes the right of its owner to use it, to assign or license it and to prohibit third parties from using it without his consent.

National industrial design (for the territory of Bulgaria)

In order to obtain registration for his industrial design, the applicant must file an application with the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and indicate the name of the product for which he wishes to register his design. Applications are checked mainly for formalities. There is no substantive examination, namely whether the industrial design meets the criteria for registration - novelty and originality.

The initial registration period of the design is for a period of 10 years, after which it can be renewed 3 times for a period of 5 years, or a total of 25 years. After the expiration of the term of protection, the industrial design becomes publicly available and any third party can freely use it. The national design has a territorial effect, namely the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

European design

European design 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 registration and publication fee is paid, and the examination is carried out by only one department.

International design

The international design shall be registered in accordance with the requirements of the Hague Agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, indicating the countries specifically selected by the applicant, including the entire territory of the EU.

For registration of an international design it is not necessary to have the so-called "basic application" or "basic registration", i.e. first to apply for registration of a national design or the holder to have a registered design before the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria.