Bulgaria is not included in the Watch List of the US government of states violating intellectual property rights, said Deputy Economy and Energy Minster Yavor Kuyumdjiev at an informal meeting with reporters on Thursday.

The US government released an updated list on May 1, which designates eight EU countries: Italy, Spain, Greece, Finland, Poland, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

According to Kuyumdjiev, Bulgaria narrowly missed the list after the US government criticized Bulgaria over several issues. One is the lack of communication between the Bulgarian government and associations, which protect intellectual property in the country. In response, Culture Minister Stefan Danailov had been appointed chair of the Council on Intellectual Property.

Bulgaria had also been criticized for Internet piracy and the use of unlicensed software. On Kuyumdjiev's initiative a meeting was held with representatives of various businesses, which laid down over 150 measures for combating intellectual property piracy. According to businesses, 70% of software in Bulgaria is unlicensed, compared with 50% according to data of the Economy and Energy Ministry.

Kuyumdjiev said that last year businesses instituted over 257 proceedings over violation of intellectual property, fifty of which ended in effective sentences, Bulgaria has reported a threefold increase in revenue from copyright and an increase in copyright, registered with the Culture Ministry.

Source: BTA