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Profile of the Patent Office
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History
For the purposes of enforcing the Law on Patents for Inventions, enacted by the Parliament on July 8, 1921, an Industrial Property Bureau was established within the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Labor performing the activities in the field of patent granting and trademark registration. After September 9, 1944, the IP Bureau was transferred to the Ministry of Industry and after 1950 - to the Institute of Inventions and Rationalizations. The Institute for Rationalizations (INRA), established on June 4, 1948 by Decree No 907 of the Presidium of the Parliament. On September 27, 1962 INRA split into two institutes i.e. Institute of Inventions and Rationalizations and Institute of Standardization Measures and Gauges. The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria is the successor of INRA and his name has been chnged with the entering into force of the Patent Law on June 1, 1993.
Main functions of the Patent Office
- examination of and decisions on the industrial property rights;
- grant of patents for inventions and certificates for utility model registration; certificates for industrial designs, trademarks, service marks, appellations of origin, and other documents for the protection of the industrial property righrs;
- consideration of disputes;
- representation of the country in the relevant intergovernmental industrial property organizations and pursueance of international cooperation in this field, including in the field of industrial property searches and examination;
- publications and issuance of a bulletin and international exchange of patent documents;
- establishment and maintenance of industrial property information systems, and provision of industrial property information services;
- issuance of regulations and instructions and preparation of proposals for schedules of fees for the activities and services provided by the Office;
- maintenance of State registers of protected industrial property;
- provision of information for the public, raising awareness in the field of the industrial property and promotion of the legal protection of the industrial property and the innovation activity.
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