Over 350 Bulgarian companies have been approved under the European Small and Medium Enterprise Fund, which finances measures to protect and safeguard intellectual property. Nearly half of them are start-ups, which shows that more and more start-ups are developing their own innovative solutions that need to be protected. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Irina Shtonova during a seminar dedicated to the World Intellectual Property Day (April 26). The event is organised by the Patent Office in cooperation with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
This year’s World Intellectual Property Day is held under the motto ‘Women and Intellectual Property: accelerating innovation and creativity’. On this occasion, Deputy Minister Irina Shtonova stressed that women are the driving force of more and more key processes and prove their knowledge and competence in different spheres of public life. ‘More and more often the Patent Office inscribes women’s names in the Golden Book of Inventors for their special merits,’ said Deputy Minister Shtonova.
The Deputy Minister of Economy stressed that the protection and objects of intellectual property have a key impact on the competitiveness and overall development of companies at the macroeconomic level. ‘I believe that as a result of the hard work of the Patent Office and their proactive role both at national and European level, awareness of intellectual property protection and its benefits for Bulgarian businesses will be increasingly raised,’ she further commented.
Participating in today’s forum were the President of the Boards of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office Joao Negrao, the President of the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria prof. Vladia Borisova, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Georgi Sabev and others.
