Intel tried unsuccessfully to stop the use of the mark Intelmark, owned by CPM, through the European Court of Justice on the ground that it would dilute its famous mark.
According to the Court the fact that an earlier mark has a “huge reputation”; that its goods or services are dissimilar to those of the later mark; that the earlier mark is unique; and that for the average consumer “the later mark calls the earlier mark to mind” is “not sufficient” to establish that the use of the later mark “takes or would take advantage of, or is or would be detrimental to, the distinctive character or the repute of the earlier mark”.
It was explained that a proof detriment requires evidence of a change, or likelihood for such a change in the future, in the economic behaviour of the average consumer of the goods or services bearing the earlier mark. This is likely to require famous brand owners to provide survey or to seek for other evidence a change in consumers “economic behaviour”.

“Тhe fee for the national reports for examination, is changed from 192 EUR to 144 EUR coming into force from 1 January 2009.  The amount of 144 EUR is formed by individual fees of  12 EUR for every  national report for examination multiplied by the number of central offices for industrial property of the member-states (presently 12) - Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Finland and Czech Republic). The change in the fee will be applicable for applications for Community trademarks, received from 01.01.2009.
Source: “Bulgarian Patent Office”

According to OHIM data the most frequently applied trademarks from Bulgarian companies are the figurative (59%), followed by the word (39%).
Regarding the classes in applications the most frequently applied classes are 35, 30, 29.

In its analysis about Bulgaria OHIM makes a ranking of the Bulgarian companies, which apply most for Community trademarks, as well as of the intellectual property representatives, who appear most frequently in the applications.
In the table below are mentioned the companies, which have the biggest number of applications for Community trademarks.

From the above ranking it is obvious that the biggest applicants from Bulgaria are top companies in the country. Bella Bulgaria AD which is a member of Association of Trademark Owners in Bulgaria takes sixth place in application activity with 11 applications for Community trademarks.

In the ranking of the intellectual property representatives made by OHIM appear the names of some of the best representatives in Bulgaria, as at first place is Mr Ivan Ivanov from the intellectual property consulting agency IP Consulting.

In his first statement as a Director General Francis Gurry claimed that he will be working with, and for, all Member States and doing whatever he can to overcome divisions and to seek positions and decisions that can find the broadest possible support among the Member States of the Organization. According to him one of the main aims of WIPO should be the initiation of a global knowledge infrastructure, comprising public, freely available databases of technological and scientific information.