December 14, 2017

Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria (BPO) has implemented new official fees, effective as of December 12, 2017

Multiple amendments in the Schedule of Charges of the BPO have been introduced by Decree No 271 as of December 8, 2017. These changes have taken effect for all of the applications and requests paid on or after December 12, 2017, when the Decree was published in the State Gazette.

For the benefit of all applicants, almost 90% of the fees, including patent fees, fees for utility models in Bulgaria, industrial designs and trademarks have been decreased in the prospect of stimulating IPR protection in the country. Even though the reductions are not very significant, varying from 5 to 25 euros, they make general lowering by 20% at least.

Besides, the BPO has introduced several essential amendments, one of which works in favor of the applicants who have numerous independent claims. For instance, the publication fees for granted patents and utility models have become flat, meaning no additional charges apply for each independent claim in excess of 5.

Owners of design patents might enjoy the relaxation of the surcharges for late renewal within 6-month grace period. The surcharge will not depend on the amount of the renewal itself, decreasing surcharges for the 2nd and 3rd renewal periods.

The introduction of such fee lowering is rather uncommon and shows the great importance of Intellectual Property and government’s readiness to promote the protection innovations.

IP-Coster has already updated patent, trademark and design fees to deliver the most precise quotes for our clients. For more information on IPR protection in Bulgaria or other jurisdictions, please visit IP-Coster applicant’s guide or let us know your queries.

Author: Lynda Miller
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