Despite Law No. 1/021 of December 2005 complies with international standards for the protection of copyright, on a practical level, it is reported that the implementation of this law is still poor and enforcement measures are lagging behind. The Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure outline the specific penalties for IP infringement, as stated in the copyright law Arts. 91-94. Nonetheless, as of 2021, Burundi still does not have any sanctions applied in case the rights under the intellectual property law are infringed upon.

Burundi has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Burundi has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Under Art. 3 of the Terms and Conditions for Domain Name Registration and Support in the ".bg" Zone and the Sub-Zones, only Bulgarian and EU natural and legal persons can register a ".bg" domain, as well as foreigners with a right for permanent residence on these territories. Entities that do not meet these conditions must act through a representative that does.

The Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU provides an updated framework aimed at encouraging online sales. The Directive has been implemented by the Consumer Protection Act of 25 July 2014. This includes comprehensive obligations to inform consumers about distance sales, a right to withdraw and rules on the recognition of digital signatures.

Bulgaria has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

Bulgaria has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

Bulgaria has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

The EU Directive on Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) covers traditional broadcasting services as well as audiovisual media services provided on-demand, including via the Internet. Art. 13.1 provides for Member States to secure a minimum 30% share of European works in the catalogues as well as "ensuring prominence" of those works. "Prominence" involves promoting European works by facilitating access to such works using any appropriate means to ensure their prominence. The Directive has been implemented by Member States in different ways, ranging from very extensive and detailed measures to a mere reference to the general obligation to promote European works.
In Bulgaria, the EU Directive was transposed into domestic law through the amendment of the Radio and Television Act of December 2020 (SG No. 109 of 2020). According to Art. 19 of the Act, providers of on-demand audiovisual media services must ensure that at least 30% of their catalogues consist of European works, which must be given prominence. The share of European works is calculated on an annual average basis, based on the number of titles in the service's catalogue.

The Directive 2000/31/EC (E-Commerce Directive) is the legal basis governing the liability of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) in the EU Member States and includes a conditional safe harbour. Not all Member States have transposed the relevant articles consistently, leading to divergent national case law that could cause legal insecurity on an EU level.
In Bulgaria, Arts. 13-16 of the Electronic Commerce Act exclude intermediary liability in a broad range of cases, including cases where the provider has no knowledge of the transmissions, has not initiated it or has not modified it. The law implements the Directive 2000/31/EC.

It is reported that Bulgaria imposes an identity requirement for SIM registration. Anyone wanting to purchase a SIM card has to provide their national ID card or a passport in case of foreigners to activate a new prepaid SIM card.

Art. 17 of Directive 2019/790 on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM Directive) mandates that providers of content-sharing services seek authorisation from rights holders and implement technical solutions to remove and prevent unauthorised uploads by their users (so-called upload filters), under penalty of losing their liability safe harbour. Further arrangements are envisaged for complaints and dispute resolution mechanisms. Such upload filters are reported to be a significant cost for online platforms. Graduated exemptions are expected to be put in place for new providers active in the EU for less than three years with a turnover under EUR 10 million, and with fewer than five million users. The provision is subject to a challenge in the Court of Justice by Poland (C-401/19). Bulgaria has not yet implemented the Directive 2019/790.

Under the Law on Copyright and Neighboring Rights (LCNR) and the Criminal Code (CC), it is illegal to “upload (reproduction), distribute and make available (broadcast), transmits infringing content” on the Internet. Art. 172а (1) of the Criminal Code states that “every person who uploads (reproduces), distributes and makes available infringing content or transmits, or makes any other use of the object of a copyright or neighbouring right without the consent of the rights holder as required by law, shall be punished by up to five years imprisonment and a fine up to BGN 5,000” (approx. USD 2,530). Art. 2 (3-5) of the LCNR defines the terms “upload (reproduction)”, “distribute” and “make available (broadcasting)”. Both the Internet providers hosting the infringing materials and the end users who upload (reproduce) may be held liable under this provision because the law does not make any difference on how the infringement is made, and “every person” may be held liable under this provision.
There is a contradiction between the applicable Rules of Civil Procedure and the LCNR, which requires a pending civil proceeding to be initiated before identification of infringers may be requested. In contrast, rules of civil procedure do not allow a court to open a civil case without the identification of the defendant, at least by name. This means that while Bulgarian law implements the right of information provided by Art. 8(1) of the EU Enforcement Directive, its exercise is hindered by civil procedure rules.

According to Arts. 3-4 of the Gambling Act, online gambling providers must apply for a licence, which can only be granted to companies established in the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. The Gambling Commission can order internet service providers to block unlicensed foreign online gambling sites.

Bulgaria and the European Union have adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty. Bulgaria acceded to the Treaty on 29 March 2001, with its provisions coming into force on 6 March 2002. Subsequently, the European Union ratified the Treaty on 14 December 2009, and it entered into effect on 14 March 2010.