` Linda Bīriņa | COBALT

Linda Bīriņa

Senior Associate / Latvia

About

Linda is an expert in Intellectual property and IT. She is a leading expert on media and privacy rights as well as on data protection issues.

She has accumulated extensive experience by representing clients in proceedings about invoking false information, defamation and compensation for non-material damage. She provides legal assistance to local and foreign clients on data protection issues.

Linda holds seminars and delivers speeches at conferences related to journalistic and mass media rights, especially protection of journalists’ information sources. Linda has also participated in international research by preparing reviews on the data protection situation in Latvia, e.g., Data Protection: Laws of the world and Data Protection & Privacy – Jurisdictional Comparisons, as well as representing Latvia in global summits on European data protection – Annual European Data Protection Intensive.

Practice

Recognition
  • IP, IT and telecoms – Rising star, Legal 500 2023
CV

Languages

  • Latvian, English, Russian

Membership & education

  • Latvian Bar Association (since 2008)
  • Head of Legal at the Legal Advice Centre of the Latvian Association of Journalists (since 2020)
  • Member of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property
  • Member of the Ethics Committee of the Latvian Advertising Association
  • Lecturer, Intellectual Property and Protection, Riga Technical University
  • Dr.iur. in progress, University of Latvia, Faculty of Law, Riga, Latvia (since 2017)
  • Master’s degree in Law, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia (2008)
  • Bachelor degree in Law, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia (2006)
    Experience

    Court rejects claim against Re:Baltica for retraction and apology

    The Ministry of Justice awards compensation to journalist Leonids Jakobsons for damages, including non-material harm suffered in criminal proceedings

    COBALT successfully represents the Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism “Re:Baltica” in legal proceedings

    COBALT successfully represents major Latvian news magazine in legal proceedings

    COBALT successfully represents Latvian Radio in a legal dispute with Ogre municipality for revocation of false news

    COBALT successfully represents Latvian Television in a unique copyright and competition dispute with All Media Latvia regarding TV format

    COBALT advised Also Latvia on corporate and commercial issues

    COBALT advised Michael Kors

    COBALT advises Latvian National Television (LTV)

    Legal advice daily to TNT Latvia

    General legal assistance to Mylan

    General legal assistance to GlaxoSmithKline

    General legal assistance to Roche

    General legal assistance to Abbott Laboratories

    Legal advice to Microsoft

    General legal assistance to Abbvie

    Legal assistance to FedEx

    Representation of AS Cits medijs in defamation lawsuits

    COBALT advises National Electronic Mass Media Council

    COBALT advises Wikimedia on Latvian tax matters

    COBALT represented public institutions in legal disputes related to former shareholders of Parex bank

    COBALT advises Norwegian company B2Holding AS in acquisition of leading debt recovery service provider SIA Creditreform Latvija

    COBALT advises leading advertisers on advertising law issues

    COBALT advises Norwegian company B2 Holding in acquisition of loan portfolio from Latvijas Krājbanka

    COBALT represents LTV journalist Ilze Nagla at the ECHR

    COBALT advises Google on data protection issues

    COBALT advises MTG group companies