Bulgaria Removed from "Special 301 Report": A Major Success in the Fight Against Online Piracy

A Historic Breakthrough in Intellectual Property Protection

As a result of the consistent and coordinated actions of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the National Investigation Service (NIsS), with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, our country has been removed from the so-called "Special 301 Report" watch list regarding intellectual property protection.

This decision is a recognition of the significant progress made in law enforcement and the intensification of criminal proceedings against cybercrimes.

Key Operations Against Pirated Content

The decision by the U.S. side is based on concrete results, including:

• Large-scale operations in January 2026 against the illegal distribution of protected content.
• Procedural and investigative actions at 30 addresses across the country under the direction of the Prosecutor's Office.
• Neutralization of structures maintaining the most visited pirate platforms in Bulgaria.
• Seizure of numerous pieces of electronic evidence and blocking access to illegal content.

National Network Against Cybercrime

The success is also due to the National Network of prosecutors and investigators specialized in investigating crimes against intellectual property, established at the end of April. Experts comment that this is an important step toward improving the business environment and the protection of copyrights in Bulgaria.