site.btaAcademic Institutions' Patent Applications Outnumber Those Filed by Legal, Natural Persons in 2023 - Patent Office President

The number of patent applications filed by Bulgarian academic institutions such as the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and universities in 2023 exceeds the number of applications filed by legal and natural persons. Bulgaria's indicators in this respect are higher than those in Europe, with applications from universities and BAS in this country accounting for 35% of the total compared to 8% in Europe, newly appointed Patent Office President Olya Dimitrova said in a BTA interview on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day, April 26.

“My priorities will be focused on meeting the needs of businesses and users of the industrial property protection system, said Dimitrova, who was appointed to the post by caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev’s order dated April 16. 

The Patent Office received 197 patent applications for inventions and 349 utility model registrations in 2023, Dimitrova said. The total number of applications filed for these two types of industrial property objects has increased by 30% compared to 2022.

There is a continuation of the 2022 trend of greater interest in filing applications for utility model registration compared to patent applications for inventions.

There is currently a significant increase in the number of utility model applications (184), compared to 2023, when they were just 59, Dimitrova said. Patent activity remains steady, with year-on-year results also expected to grow, she added.

In 2023, the Patent Office received 3,556 applications for national trademark registration, up from 3,502 in 2022. A total of 3,144 of them were filed by Bulgarian nationals and 412 by foreign applicants.

Application activity for industrial designs is up compared to the previous year. There is an almost 13% increase in the number of industrial design applications filed nationally compared to 2022, the Patent Office Director noted. She added that the high interest in filing applications for trademarks is a natural trend given that business in Bulgaria is most active in the services sector as a priority.