Creative and innovationPublic Sector
At the end of 2023, significant changes to the Bulgarian Copyright and Related Rights Act were adopted. The aim was to harmonise the national legislation with the European legal framework – namely, by introducing two directives: 2019/789 and 2019/790.
These changes were largely driven by the digitalization of the market and the innovations in the distribution of various products subject to copyright and related rights.
One of the most crucial amendments is the abolition of the 10-year limitation on contracts with authors and performers for the use of works. It is now possible to enter into contracts for the full term of protection of the rights of both authors and performers – 70 years after the death of the author and 50 years after the date of the performance for the performers, subject to only a single payment for use.
However, the amendments also provide for a right to additional remuneration where the original agreed remuneration proves disproportionate. As the protection of this right is difficult to achieve in practice, the importance of initial fair negotiation becomes even more important.
It is precisely the proper understanding of the rights and obligations in the proposed text of the contract that enable the right holders to negotiate adequate terms.
If you need help doing so, YNG Legal are here to assist.

Assistant attorney Filena Vasileva is skilled at court representation in different law fields.
Attorney-at-law Ivan Yankov is the driving force behind YNG Legal. He is a leading expert in intellectual property law, cryptocurrencies and blockchain.