I. Intellectual Property

Intellectual property law, as a branch of civil law, encompasses copyright and industrial property rights.

1. Copyright

Copyright has as its object the relations related to the creation and distribution of works of literature, art and science. These include the emergence of copyright over a work, the rights of authors – material and non-material, the order of their inheritance and assignment, as well as their protection. Along with these rights, copyright also deals with neighbouring rights – the rights of performers, producers, radio and television organizations and publishers of press publications.

Some of the main types of assistance that Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm offers in the field of copyright are the following:

· consultations and drafting of contracts on the terms of copyright occurrence;

· consulting and drafting contracts on the assignment of rights to a work of authorship;

· research, monitoring and legal analysis of copyright objects;

· preparation and consultations on production, management and publishing contracts; contracts for the reproduction and distribution of sound and video recordings; contracts concluded by performers; contracts with radio and television organizations; contracts for the use of databases and computer programs;

· protection in case of infringement of copyright works both in court and through out-of-court means, including before arbitration.

2. Rights over industrial property objects

In the last few years, the established concept of industrial property objects has been significantly expanded. Thus, industrial property now includes not only inventions, utility models, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial designs, new varieties of plants and animal breeds and integrated circuit topologies, but also trade secrets (trade information, know-how and technological information) and artificial intelligence systems.

Some of the main types of assistance that Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm offers in the field of industrial property law are the following:

· consultations and drafting of contracts on industrial property objects granting exclusive or non-exclusive right of use; complex license agreements;

· research, monitoring and legal analysis of patents, utility models, trademarks, industrial designs, etc.;

· registration, renewal, representation in the procedure for all types of applied and registered objects of industrial property: trademarks; designs; Inventions; utility models, geographical indications, etc.;

· consultations and drafting of contracts and representation before state authorities and courts in connection with the use of artificial intelligence systems under Regulation (EU) № 2024/1689;

· representation before the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria (RO of the Republic of Bulgaria / BPO) regarding procedures for:

- trademark registration;

- registration of an industrial design;

- registration of a utility model;

- granting a patent for an invention;

- issuance of a certificate for a new plant variety / new breed of animal.

· representation before the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on procedures on:

- Union trade mark registration (EUTM);

- Union design registration (REUD);

- registration of protected designations of origin (PDO);

- registration of protected geographical indications for agricultural products, foodstuffs and wines (PGI);

- registration of geographical indications for spirits and aromatised wines (GI);

· representation before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on procedures for:

- application for a patent for an invention (PCT patent);

- filing an international trademark under the Madrid Agreement and its Protocol;

- application for an industrial design – under the Hague Agreement.

· representation before the European Patent Office (EPO) on the procedure for granting a European patent;

· protection in case of violations of industrial property rights both in court and through out-of-court means, including before arbitration, the Commission for Protection of Competition, the Customs Agency, the Ministry of Culture and the Patent Office in administrative proceedings regarding any administrative actions in connection with violated intellectual property rights.

II. Company law

Company (or corporate) law has as its object the establishment, operation and termination of commercial companies (general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, joint-stock company, limited partnership with shares, company with variable capital), as well as any issues relating to the establishment and termination of commercial representation, along with all relations between the principal (the commercial entity) and the representative.

Although they are not commercial entities, non-profit legal entities (associations and foundations) have a legal regime similar to that of commercial companies.

Some of the main types of assistance that Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm offers in the field of company law are the following:

· consulting and drafting of articles of association, articles of association, constituent acts, etc.

· registration of newly established companies/non-profit legal entities in the Commercial Register and the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities (CRRNPLE) at the Registry Agency;

· preparation of documents and registration of changes in the circumstances subject to entry in the Commercial Register of Legal Entities;

· transformation of commercial companies;

· restructuring of the ownership of commercial companies, transfer of shares and shares, contribution of movable and immovable property in the capital of commercial companies;

· transfer of commercial enterprises;

· liquidation of commercial companies;

· preparation of contracts for commercial representation (authorization of procurators, commercial agents and assistants, commercial representatives and intermediaries).

III. Commercial law

Commercial law (the law of commercial transactions or the law of obligations of traders) deals with the conclusion, execution and cancellation of various transactions that the law qualifies as commercial.

In the field of commercial law, Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm offers the following types of assistance:

· consulting and drafting contracts for the commercial sale of goods, including those with an international element;

· consulting and drafting of contracts for operating and financial leasing;

· consulting and drafting commission and forwarding contracts;

· preparation of promissory notes and bills of exchange and their transfer;

· consulting and drafting of franchise and factoring contracts;

· consulting and drafting license agreements;

· commercial collateral services.

IV. Enforcement proceedings

The enforcement proceedings under the Civil Procedure Code are called upon to carry out by means of state coercion an unsatisfied claim of the creditor, which the court has already recognized by an enforceable decision.

The enforcement proceedings also include the order for payment procedure, which aims to deliver even faster execution of the unsatisfied claim.

In the field of enforcement proceedings, Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm provides the following types of assistance:

· preparation of notarial invitations for the collection of unpaid receivables, termination of various types of contracts or for the withdrawal of powers of attorney;

· legal representation before state courts and private/state bailiffs in the course of enforcement proceedings;

· obtaining a writ of execution on the basis of enforcement orders and orders for immediate execution;

· implementation of claim protection within the framework of enforcement proceedings.

V. Protection of personal data

In the last more than ten years, modern society has not only witnessed, but also actively participated in the mass penetration of digital technologies – both in professional and everyday life. This unprecedented development has brought with it the need for a higher level of protection of users' personal data. The first such step was taken with Regulation (EU) № 2016/679 (GDPR), which harmonized the Bulgarian legislation.

In the field of personal data protection, Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm provides the following types of assistance:

· representation in proceedings for unlawful processing of personal data before the Commission for Personal Data Protection;

· legal representation on unlawful processing of personal data before state courts;

· representation in a negotiation process.

VI. Protection of competition

The normal development of trade turnover presupposes the presence of a certain security. Competition law aims to prevent unfair competition between traders, to avoid the creation of cartel agreements and the formation of monopolies.

In the field of competition protection, Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm provides the following types of assistance:

· representation in the negotiation process;

· drawing up and responding to injunctions for competition rules

· legal representation before the Commission for Protection of Competition:

- in cases related to individual violations of the Protection of Competition Act;

- in proceedings for obtaining permits in case of concentration of economic activity.

· legal representation before the Supreme Administrative Court in proceedings for appealing decisions of the Commission for Protection of Competition.

VII. Mediation

Unlike court proceedings, which often last for years and usually do not express the will of either party, mediation is an extra-procedural method of achieving an outcome that is beneficial for both parties in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill.

Mediation is a process in which communication between the parties takes place entirely on a voluntary basis, is informal and usually ends with an agreement approved by the parties without limitation in form. The parties do not entrust the outcome of the issue to be resolved to a third party, but conduct the negotiations independently, assisted to the maximum extent by registered mediators. The arrangements in mediation are characterized by stability, as they have the character of mutually agreed decisions.

The mediation offered by Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm is characterized by the following advantages:

· voluntary choice of procedure, which determines a real opportunity for the parties to maintain their good personal and business ties;

· strict confidentiality – mediation is not open or public;

· takes less time;

· may be part of a contract or applied by agreement of the parties;

· The parties and their representatives shall participate together in the procedure.

The dispute is resolved through mediation according to a simplified procedure, known in advance to both parties. They can amend it and adapt it to the specifics of the dispute.

VIII. Inheritance law

Inheritance law comes into effect at the time of a person's death. At this point, his legacy is discovered – the totality of his assets and liabilities. The task of inheritance law is to establish which persons and under what quotas can inherit the deceased.

In the field of inheritance law, Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm provides the following types of assistance:

· drawing up wills;

· assistance in establishing the contents of the estate;

· legal representation in partition proceedings.

IX. Foreign investments

The team of Georgieva & Georgiev Law Firm provides comprehensive information on the legal conditions related to the investments of foreign individuals and legal entities, such as:

- selection of the most appropriate legal and organizational form in practical and tax aspect for registration and/or representation on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria of commercial companies, in view of the investor's goals;

- transformation of commercial companies, mergers and acquisitions, separations, divisions and transformations by changing the legal and organizational form;

- assistance in issuing permits by state authorities (the Employment Agency, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and the Migration Directorate at the Ministry of Interior) in carrying out economic or labor activities on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for short-term, long-term and permanent residence;

- legal analysis and detailed research of all legal aspects of the investment;

- preparation of powers of attorney, declarations and other documents in connection with the implementation of the above services;

- legal assistance in obtaining a short-term residence permit - up to 90 days from the date of entry into the country;

- legal assistance in obtaining a long-term residence permit – two types: long-term, with a permitted period of up to one year and permanent, with an allowed indefinite period of residence in the country;

- legal assistance in obtaining Bulgarian citizenship.