The latest edition of the Methodological Guidelines for the Application of Articles 11 and 12 (absolute and relative grounds for refusal of trade mark registrations) of the Law on Trade Marks and Geographical Indications entered into force in Bulgaria on 4 February 2025.

The Guidelines provide general instructions for examining trade marks. They are designed to summarize the current administrative and judicial practices and are revised periodically to reflect the changes in trade mark law and practice.

The latest version of the Guidelines is the first based on the current Bulgarian Law on Trade Marks and Geographical Indications (2019). They now provide instructions for the examination of trade marks in conflict with traditional terms for wines, traditional specialties guaranteed, and earlier plant variety denominations. They include new sections dedicated to relative grounds for refusal related to bad faith, earlier geographical indications, and earlier trade names, while keeping up with the updated legal framework. The updated Guidelines also offer a wider range of real and fictional scenarios to illustrate the application of the trade mark laws and principles in Bulgaria.