The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Estonia > IP, IT and telecoms

Ellex works across the full practice area, advising clients in the technology, telecoms, and media industries, alongside a unique capability in patent litigation, thanks to the dual qualification of senior associate Mari Must as a trade mark attorney. Clients include Bayer Pharma and the Estonian Author's Society. Practice head Ants Nõmper represented AstraZeneca in a damages claim against KRKA relating to the sale of a generic medicinal project in breach of the client's patent.

Egon Talur leads the practice at Cobalt, which primarily handles data privacy and IP concerns, alongside representing clients in trade mark litigation. It is a popular choice for clients in the IT sector - fraud prevention company Dataminer is a client - as well as online gambling companies. Senior associate Viive Kaur is a specialist in trade mark litigation and copyright law.

Derling Primus' workload includes advising on trade mark issues for a range of clients, as well as handling day-to-day IT and procurement considerations, supporting start-ups, and advising a number of banking clients on licensing, alternative payment and privacy considerations. Other clients operate primarily in the IT, tech, and retail sectors. The practice is led by Toomas Taube, a specialist in IP advice and enforcement alongside trade mark litigation. Hannes Vallikivi acts for clients in the financial services sector  on IT matters. Ave Piik left the firm.

Elvira Tulvik heads the practice at Magnusson, which handles data protection, compliance, and licensing matters, with a particular specialism acting for fintech clients and e-payment providers, including Folkefinans and Spectrofinance. Senior associates Sille Eerik and Mirjam Võsu are noted for their expertise in IT law. In a difficult market for traditional banking transactions, the team advises businesses on obtaining operation licences in Estonia for operating a virtual currency exchange and offering wallet services.

The team at Advokaadibüroo PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal OÜ acts for clients from multiple industries in litigation and advisory work. In one highlight, the team is representing Gemalto, the producer of Estonian ID-card chips, in a series of complex civil disputes against the Republic of Estonia and Idemia France, valued at around €200m. Other work includes day-to-day IT advice and patent litigation. IP and IT specialist Priit Lätt leads the practice alongside Imbi Jürgen. Mari-Liis Orav is now with TGS Baltic.

Hedman Partners 'understands start-ups better then anyone else in Estonia' and has a core focus acting for Estonian start-ups in numerous industries, including legal services, transport, banking and real estate. The practice also handles data protection and IT services matters, and also receives a steady stream of instructions relating to the music industry. On the litigation side, the group is representing the Estonian government in a copyright dispute against Estonian authors and performers societies. The 'hands-on' Toomas Seppel, who was promoted to partner in 2019, heads the team.

Advokaadibüroo KPMG Law advises several international, largely Baltic-wide, clients primarily on data protection and GDPR-related issues, alongside fintech and payment services work. Clients include Eesti Post, Valio and Versobank in liquidation. Practice head Risto Agur specialises in data protection, IT and banking-related work. The team was further bolstered by the arrival of Lauri Liivat from Eversheds Sutherland Ots & Co in January 2019; he focuses on assisting tech start-ups and emerging growth companies.

'Stand-out' senior associate Rauno Kinkar leads the practice at LEXTAL, which specialises in fintech, cryptocurrency licensing, and matters related to web-based services. It is a popular choice for start-ups sector, particularly those focused on the provision of payment services and AI development, as well as those in the media sector. Kinkar and Ants Karu provide ongoing advice to autonomous vehicles company Starship Technologies on data protection and day-to-day IT considerations.

LINKLaw advises primarily on IP, data protection, and IT projects within the media industry, with a particular focus on television and film, including production companies and video streaming services. Kairi Kurisoo leads the practice, bringing her experience in commercial law and transactions to bear in advising corporate clients on fintech and enterprise software.

The practice at NJORD Law Firm is led by newly promoted partner Liisi Jürgen. The group advises a variety of clients in new and existing fields of technology, including cryptocurrency, fundraising platforms, business consultancy and healthcare. Work varies from financing to day-to-day IT and technology considerations. The firm's range of capabilities is best demonstrated by its advice to Digital Mind on a series of legal issues related to its business consultancy products, which include electronic signatures, E-ID, and authentication protocols, with a particular focus on cross-border business co-operation.

Intellectual property boutique AAA Legal Services focuses on trade mark and patent registration and enforcement. The team is experienced in Estonian and international trade mark registration, patent applications, and all forms of intellectual property disputes, including litigation and extrajudicial negotiations. Key names include Urmas Kernu and Almar Sehver.

ALTERNA's practice, which is led by Kati Tamm, handles data protection and intellectual property matters, including copyright and trade mark enforcement.

FORT's practice has two key specialisms: handling complex regulatory issues within the telecoms industry; and advising on software development projects within the IT sector, particularly online payments and fintech in line with the firm's banking and finance capabilities. The practice is led by experienced corporate and financing lawyers Kuldar-Jaan Torokoff and Kirsti Pent, who assist clients with contractual and regulatory issues respectively.

Hannes Küün and Marit Savi lead the practice at TARK, which acts for corporate clients on data protection and privacy compliance issues, as well as being active in IT disputes. Clients include My Fitness and Estonian Railway.