In connection with inaccurate and false statements that appeared in a publication on the website “Club Z”, “Gallup International Balkan“ EAD specifies the following:
1. Since August 2024, when the sociological agency “Gallup International Balkan“ changed its ownership, it has not participated in the activities of the non-governmental association headquartered in Zurich, which is called Gallup International Association (GIA). Neither before nor after, the surveys that the agency conducts on domestic topics and on behalf of Bulgarian clients have been organized or financed by the association in question, and it has had and has nothing to do with them.
2. GIA, headquartered in Zurich, does not own the legal rights to the Gallup and Gallup International trademarks either in Bulgaria or even in the country in which it is registered - Switzerland. These are facts that can be easily established from the public information in the relevant national registers. Due to the lack of legal rights, the GIA association cannot and does not grant any "licenses" for the use of the trademark. This can only be done by its legitimate owner - Gallup, Inc. In Switzerland, these trademarks belong to Gallup, Inc. - USA. In Bulgaria, GIA also has no rights. The trademark with which the Bulgarian agency has been publicly known for years - Gallup International Balkan, was applied for in the Patent Office in 2023 (the application is by "Gallup International Balkan"), and there is opposition against it from Gallup, Inc. This proceeding was suspended in May 2025, due to negotiations between the Bulgarian and American agencies. In the case of the previous owners of “Gallup International Balkan“, as established by journalistic investigations, participation in GIA was a pretext with which an attempt was made to justify the use of the trademark. From a legal point of view, this pretext was and remains unfounded.
3. The authoritative American and global company Gallup, Inc. is not “under the umbrella“ of GIA, but left it in the 1990s, demanding that GIA and its members not use the trademark without permission - a request that GIA does not comply with. There are ongoing lawsuits on these issues all over the world, which, with the exception of some specific cases, are won by the American Gallup, Inc. Such cases were also conducted during the time of the previous owners against “Gallup International Balkan“.
4. Guided by their understanding that legality and business ethics require that these relations be regulated and since the Swiss-registered GIA does not possess legal rights, by mutual consent of the new owners of “Gallup International Balkan“ and the American side, for the first time in the history of these relations, business negotiations were initiated. On this basis, the pending lawsuits and proceedings before the Patent Office were also suspended.
5. Given the participation of “Gallup International Balkan“ in GIA during the time of the previous owners, nearly half a year after the change of ownership, in which there was no relationship, in early 2025, GIA inquired whether “Gallup International Balkan“ wanted to continue its relations with the association. In a spirit of goodwill, in February we expressed such a will and provided the relevant information. In addition, GIA has not requested and is not aware of any relevant information on any aspect of the professional activities of “Gallup International Balkan“, its sociological surveys, methodology, analyses and the renewed and authoritative team itself.
6. Meanwhile, given the obstacles that relations with GIA could potentially create for negotiations with Gallup, Inc., in May we decided to refrain from participating in GIA at this stage. Among the reasons for this decision were the unacceptable participation and positions of GIA board members in Vladimir Putin's “Valdai“ forum and some anti-Israeli insinuations in one of GIA's own surveys on the Gaza Strip. GIA proposed a meeting in July, which did not take place. Due to the progress of our negotiations with Gallup Inc., in early August “Gallup International Balkan“ explicitly notified GIA that it was terminating its relationship with the association. GIA's reaction is a response to all of this and is part of the general context of their conflict with Gallup, Inc.
7. The domain gallup-international. bg did not belong to “Gallup International Balkan“ and was not part of the transaction to acquire the company. At the time of the transfer, it was owned by a company of the previous owners, who subsequently transferred it. Because of this, “Gallup International Balkan“, as our partners and clients know, is now using the domain www. gallupinternational.bg .
ABOUT GALLUP INTERANTIONAL BALKAN:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Borislav Tsekov – Executive Director of „Paxton Research“ AD - sole owner of „Gallup International Balkan“ EAD
Dr. Petko Petkov – Executive Director of „Gallup International Balkan“ EAD