Balgarianovinite.com Intellectual property should help turn ideas into growth, investment and jobs rather than merely protect innovation, speakers at the Innovation Empowered: Protect, Compete, Succeed conference in Sofia said on Thursday.
EUIPO Executive Director Joao Negrao said IP should “not just protect innovation, but also enable growth, attract investment, facilitate partnerships, and unlock new markets for companies”. He added that Bulgaria’s cooperation with the EUIPO had already produced results, with nearly 4,000 Bulgarian SMEs receiving support to protect and manage their intellectual property.
Director of WIPO’s Division for Transition and Developed Countries Habip Asan said “economic power is increasingly built on ideas protected by intellectual property”. He added that “an idea created in a lab, university or startup can reach global markets within months, sometimes even weeks”, arguing that IP institutions should support the wider innovation ecosystem rather than act only as registration bodies.
European Patent Office President Antonio Campinos said patents “protect and stimulate investment in new products and technologies by turning ideas into assets and creating legal certainty for innovators”. He added that patents were “not simply an opportunity but a strategic necessity” at a time of accelerating technological transformation.
Caretaker Economy Minister Irina Shtonova said innovation was “the engine of modern industry and the key to economic growth”. She added: “Innovations turn ideas into technologies, technologies into businesses, and businesses into jobs.” Intellectual Property Should Drive Growth, Competitiveness, Speakers Say at Sofia Forum 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-12 20:51:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law