Q2 2023

Below you can find our quarterly TMT newsletter, covering the latest updates about 5G rollout in Estonia, data protection enforcement in the Baltics, as well as safeguarding your intellectual property rights in the region. This issue covers:

  • TMT Insight
  • EU Legislation
  • Data Protection
  • Technology
  • Media
  • Telecom
  • Knowledge Management & Innovation

TMT Insight

Tips for keeping your intellectual property safe

Our international intellectual property teams in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus prepared a IP health check quiz to help companies ensure that their IP is properly safeguarded.

Tax and legal rules applicable to DAOs

EU Legislation

Creating a European cybersecurity shield

The Cyber Solidarity Act aims to improve cyber threat detection and awareness, enhance the preparedness of critical sectors, and promote solidarity, coordination, and response capabilities among member states. It also includes establishing a European Cybersecurity Competence Academy to address the shortage of skilled professionals and enhance cybersecurity skills and education.

Data protection

From ignorance to enforcement: A five-year retrospective on GDPR and its financial impact

European Data Protection Board has published a Data Protection Guide
The EDPB has launched a Data Protection Guide to help small business owners on their way to become more data protection compliant. The Guide aims to raise awareness about the GDPR and to provide practical information to small businesses about GDPR compliance in an accessible and easily understandable format.

The Data State Inspectorate of Latvia has launched a campaign to explain data processing for the general public on various topics (in Latvian):

Estonia enhances enforcement of data protection violations (in Estonian)

Amendments to Estonia’s Penal Code set to take effect on November 1, this year, facilitate more decisive penalties for data protection violations in line with European Union law.

The Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate published a circular on the processing of the contents of employees’ e-mail inboxes (in Estonian)
The purpose of the circular is to inform the respective target group on how to better deal with data protection. This circular is aimed at employers but also at employees to explain how the contents of an employee’s e-mail inbox can be processed and what activities are considered to be good practice.

Technology

Who becomes the author of an AI-generated comic? (in Estonian)

A recent ruling by the U.S. Copyright Office suggests that AI-generated works are not protected by copyright unless there is significant creative input from a human. Our lawyers raise the question whether current copyright laws need to be revised in light of the evolution of AI capabilities.

Media

Requirement for a Latvian language track in television programs enters into force (in Latvian)

Amendments to the Electronic Mass Media Law requiring the provision of a Latvian language track, in addition to other language tracks, for television programs tracked in languages other than the official languages of EU member states or EEA countries entered into force. The amendments address the tendency when most of the programs originally in a foreign language, for example in English, provide a track only of the Russian language for the Latvian audience.

Telecom

Estonia auctions 5G frequency licenses in the 24.7-27.1 GHz band (in Estonian)

The Estonian telecom regulator has announced the winners of the 5G frequency licenses in the 24.7-27.1 GHz band. Elisa Eesti AS, Tele2 Eesti AS, and Telia Eesti AS each secured two frequency licenses, providing a total 800 MHz of nationwide spectrum.

Knowledge management and innovation

Latvia will have a space incubation centre (in Latvian)

Latvia plans to establish a Business Incubation Centre for the European Space Agency (ESA), supporting 25 start-ups in the space industry over a five-year period. The centre aims to provide quality support and contribute to the development of Latvia’s space sector, fostering innovation and integration into the global space industry.

Startup Estonia model documents updated

In order to simplify the life of aspiring entrepreneurs, Startup Estonia, in collaboration with Sorainen and other leading Estonian law firms, has created samples of legal documents.

Our team of TMT specialists is at your service

In Estonia

Mihkel Miidla, mihkel.miidla@sorainen.com

Oliver Kuusk, oliver.kuusk@sorainen.com

In Latvia

Linda Reneslāce, linda.reneslace@sorainen.com

Andris Tauriņš, andris.taurins@sorainen.com

In Lithuania

Jonas Kiauleikis, jonas.kiauleikis@sorainen.com