Protect your trademark in 3 easy to follow steps:

Although not a compulsory part of the registration procedure, the preliminary trademark search is a crucial and, thus, highly recommended stage within the entire registration process. Our trademark search report will give you our legal opinion on two major questions:

1. are there absolute grounds for refusal of registration in respect to your trademark, and
2. what are the prospects for registration of your trademark based on our findings as to the existence of earlier identical or confusingly similar trademarks.

This is why, we recommend that you proceed with your trademark application only after you have carefully read your trademark search report. It may also raise some additional questions. We will always be at your disposal to answer them.

Note that our legal advice and conclusions in the preliminary trademark search report do not in any way guarantee a positive outcome of the trademark registration procedure! Moreover, positive past results do not guarantee the same results in the future!

1. Legal fee for a preliminary trademark search:

• EU Trademark search report – 100 Euro (+ VAT if applicable*);
• Bulgarian Trademark search report – 50 Euro (+ VAT if applicable*).

2. Fees and expenses for an EU Trademark registration:

• Legal fee – 350 Euro (+ VAT if applicable*);
• Fees of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) – 850 Euro for an EU Trademark application covering one class of goods and services; 50 Euro for the second class of goods and services; 150 Euro for each additional class exceeding the second class.

Example for an EU Trademark application including two classes of goods and services: Flat legal fee of 350 Euro (+ 70 Euro VAT if applicable*); EUIPO official fee – 900 Euro. Total for an EU Trademark (up to two classes of goods and services) – 1250 Euro (1320 Euro if VAT is charged).

3. Fees and expenses for a Bulgarian Trademark registration:

• Legal fee – 250 Euro (+ VAT if applicable*);
• State fees charged by the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria: application fee covering up to three classes of goods and services – 100 Euro; 21 Euro for each class exceeding the third; registration fee – 205 Euro (paid upon registration).

Example for a Bulgarian Trademark application including three classes of goods and services: Flat legal fee of 250 Euro (+ 50 Euro VAT if applicable*); BPO official fees – 326 Euro. Total for a Bulgarian Trademark application (up to three classes of goods and services) – 576 Euro (626 Euro if VAT is charged).

4. Legal fee for a trademark monitoring service – 100 Euro per mark per year (+ VAT if applicable*).

5. Payment methods:

• Credit/Debit card via Paypal;

Wire transfer to a bank account.

*VAT will be charged unless you have your place of business and a valid VAT number in a EU member-state. In this case you will be VAT exempt.

Once your trademark is applied for registration, you need to keep some data related to your trademark up-to-date by informing the registration office of any changes occurring in the status of the trademark proprietor, for example change of the name and the address of the trademark proprietor or the contact information.

Some circumstances related to the trademark itself also have to be entered into the trademark register. Thus, you will have to inform the registration office when you transfer the ownership over the trademark or sign a license agreement in respect of the trademark. You may also wish to restrict the list of the goods and services of your trademark.

Furthermore, upon expiration of a ten years period after the filing of the trademark application, you will have to apply for renewal of the trademark. This will be the right moment to decide whether you are still interested in maintaining your trademark alive. At this point you cannot alter your trademark but to restrict the list of the goods and services.

Last but not least, you must put your trademark to commercial use within 5 years as from its registration! The non-use of the mark may serve as a basis for any third parties to challenge it with the result that it may be canceled if you fail to provide proof of use.

Vigorously defending your trademark is vital for maintaining its major function to distinguish your goods and services from that of the other traders. The trademark disputes may take different forms and are resolved in different procedures. The most common of them are the following:

• Opposition proceedings initiated before the trademark registration office. This is the most practical and accessible legal tool for a proprietor of an earlier trademark to prevent the registration of a sign that is identical or confusingly similar to his/her earlier trademark for identical or similar goods/services;
• Cancellation proceedings. These proceedings give a ‘second chance’ to the owner of an earlier trademark who failed to oppose a conflicting trademark in due time;
• Legal actions for trademark infringements. A proprietor of a registered trademark or of any other legally protected right may defend its rights against unauthorized use of a sign that is identical or confusingly similar to its protected sign. The claimant may ask the court to order the defendant to stop the illegal use of the sign and to award the claimant a compensation for damages.

With a EU Trademark (formerly named Community Trademark) you have the opportunity to protect a sign within the territories of all 28 member states of the EU with a single application filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office in Alicante, Spain. The applicant may be either physical person or legal entity. It does not have to be an EU resident.

The EU Trademark registration is especially suitable for enterprises trading (or planing to trade) their goods or services under this trademark in the territories of more than one EU member state.

Provided that your trademark application does not face any procedural complications, such as oppositions, objections, or provisional refusals, the estimate time for registration is 4 – 6 months for a EU Trademark and 10 – 14 for a Bulgarian trademark.

Did you know that the European trademarks office (EUIPO) don’t do any checks for earlier identical or similar trademarks when a trademark application is filed? As a result, someone may register a trademark that is identical or confusingly similar to yours. The use in commerce of such sign may delude the consumers as to the origin of the respective goods or services and to erode the distinctive character of your trademark.

The Trademark Monitoring Service is the solution to this situation. The service comprises of a permanent monitoring of all trademark applications and notifying the client about any potentially conflicting trademarks. Once notified, the client will have the time and the possibility to undertake legal action against the registration of the conflicting trademark.

The international trademark registration gives the trademark owner the opportunity to protect its trademark in a number of territories worldwide by a single application. This is possible thanks to the international trademark registration system, or so called Madrid system. It is governed by the World Intellectual Property Organization based in Geneva, Switzerland.

To apply for an international registration, the trademark owner must have already registered or applied for registration of the same mark in some of the participating trademark offices (so called ‘basic registration’ or ‘basic application’).

What are the major benefits of the international trademark registration?

• You have your trademark protected in many countries and/or territories by a single application.
• You may claim the protection of your trademark as from the date of the basic registration/application if you apply internationally within 6 months as from the earlier filing.
• You may add new countries/territories once your trademark is registered internationally.