Invention and Patent Activity in Bulgaria in The Period 2012–2017

Abstract

Patents provide for serious protection for inventors, thereby enabling them, on the one hand, to recover costs faster and, on the other, to gain a larger market share or to protect existing positions in a competitive environment. In this regard, the purpose of the article is to identify the dynamics and trends in the invention activity of national and foreign applicants, and on this basis to draw conclusions and guidelines that would be useful for the business. The research uses a systematic approach, analysing data from the database of the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2012–2017. The survey shows that Bulgaria is of interest to patent holders mainly from the EU, US, Switzerland and JAPAN. On the other hand, the Bulgarian applicants are sufficiently active in the invention activity, which has an effect on the competitiveness of the national economy.