Cobalt has successfully represented Latvian Television in a copyright and competition dispute against All Media Latvia that reached Latvia's Supreme Court.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision dismissing All Media Latvia's claim that alleged a breach of copyright, unfair competition, and sought damages.
All Media Latvia, previously known as Latvijas Neatkariga Televizija, claimed that Latvian Television’s morning show "Rita Panorama" imitated the format of its "900 Sekundes" show, in breach of the country's Copyright Act and Competition Act.
According to Cobalt, in making its decision, the Supreme Court for the first time discussed a TV format as the property of its creator. According to the firm, "the Supreme Court explained that, in principle, a TV format may be protected, but no one has the right to monopolize an entire class of television programs (genre). Having recognized that the prohibition of unfair competition is actionable in a dispute over a TV format, the court listed the criteria of an infringement and agreed that in the case at hand they had not been fulfilled."
Cobalt’s team consisted of Senior Associate Linda Birina and Associate Ivo Maskalans.
