site.btaPatent Office Reports Significant Increase in Invention Patent Applications This Year

The last years have seen an upward trend in patent applications in Bulgaria, giving cause for moderate optimism about invention activity in the country, Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria President Olya Dimitrova told BTA. Last year, the Patent Office received 194 patent applications for inventions, up by 4.3% from 2024. Seventy-six such applications have been received since the start of 2026, compared to 37 during the like period of 2025, she noted. Dimitrova described as even more impressive the increase in registration applications for utility models: these numbered 133 from January 1 to present, compared to 49 in the like period of 2025. 

The Patent Office President spoke with BTA ahead of the High level IP Conference "Innovation Empowered: Protect, Compete, Succeed," which will be held in Sofia on March 12 on the occasion of 133 years since the entry into force of Bulgaria's first law on trade and industrial trademarks.

She noted that though the number of patent applications is expected to continue growing, at present it is low compared to 2015, for example, when it stood at nearly 300. According to her, this shows that Bulgaria has scientific and invention potential but that is still not turning actively enough into a patented technology and market products.

In terms of fields, the most applications are traditionally submitted in mechanical engineering and energy, but the electronics and telecommunications field is seeing rapid growth and is expected to take the lead in the future, said the Patent Office President. There is also good applicant activity in some areas of medical and biotechnological development. 

Patent Index and European patent applications

The European Patent Office is yet to publish the Patent Index 2025 with data per country, but the Patent Index 2024 and older statistics give a good idea about the trends and Bulgaria's performance, Dimitrova said. Bulgaria remains among the smaller innovators in Europe - the number of European patent applications is relatively low and growing more slowly. The number of applications from Bulgarian applicants amounts to dozens on an annual basis, which places the country outside the top 30 countries in the European ranking. The conclusion is that global competition for innovation is shifting towards countries with serious investments in technology and scientific research, while for Bulgaria the main challenge remains the more active conversion of scientific results and engineering ideas into protected patents and market products, Dimitrova noted.

According to her, more opportunities should be sought to create conditions under which scientific developments and technological solutions can achieve international patent protection, especially given that Bulgaria is part of the unified European patent system, which allows a European patent to be valid simultaneously in the territories of 18 member states of the European Patent Convention without the holder having to take action before the relevant national authorities.

Applications for European patents are distributed across several key technology areas, with a clear shift towards digital and green technologies in recent years. The strongest growth is seen in artificial intelligence and software technologies, energy technologies related to the green transition, transport technologies, and electromobility. At the same time, there has been slower growth in digital communications and a more noticeable decline in pharmaceutical developments. In other words, patent activity is increasingly following global economic priorities - digital transformation and decarbonisation of the economy, Dimitrova commented.

Patent applications for trademarks, utility models, industrial design

Last year, the Patent Office received 284 registration applications for utility models, which is a slight drop from 2024, Dimitrova noted. However, the three-fold increase this year gives cause for optimism about the number of applications in 2026. 

Last year, national applications for industrial design numbered 112, which marks a decline compared to 2024. Twenty such applications have been filed this year, similarly to the like period of 2025. The data shows that the final results are expected to be similar to last year's, Dimitrova commented, adding that these results should be analysed in light of the application to the European Union Intellectual Property Office, where Bulgaria showed activity in 2025 with about 300-350 applications for registration of Community designs.

In 2025, the Patent Office received 4,124 trademark registration applications, up by 5.12% compared to 2024. This year, the number stands at 736, compared to 709 trademark registration applications in the same period of 2025, so Dimitrova expects better results in 2026 as a whole. She explained that high activity in trademarks is generally typical for economies with a strong service sector, as well as for those with consumer-oriented companies.