Latest Updates

Zohar Lande's criticism of the Anti-Trust authority for its conduct in the Israeli Food market- published in Calcalist

Global Invacom Group has completed yesterday its acquisition of Israel-based OnePath Networks. OnePath - which trades as Foxcom - is one of the pioneers in radio frequency over fibre technology. It provides products and services to major satellite operators, teleports and broadcasters in over 35 countries.

Barnea and The MIT Enterprise Forum of Israel is delighted to invite you to a unique seminar: Time to Start-Up! Follow the Challenging Road. The event will take place on 19th November 2014, 16:30 - 20:15 at the Tel Aviv University.

In a meeting held by the Knesset Finance Committee on the high cost of living, Antitrust Commissioner Prof. David Gilo called on consumers to organize boycotts to pressure retailers and manufacturers to reduce their prices. He said: “An occasional boycott is not enough. Consumers need to undertake a personal boycott every day, to vote with their feet and compare competing prices.” Zohar Lande senior partner at Barnea Co, disagrees. Zohar was interviewed by Maariv newspaper where he was quoted for saying "it is both unfair and unwise to ask the consumers to fix the high cost of living".

Tax treaties are intended to promote international trade by eliminating double taxation.  Although the Israeli Tax Authority and the Israeli Ministry of Finance have been reluctant to acknowledge a potential new double taxation treaty with Switzerland, the Swiss Finance Ministry has been more vocal. Swiss officials have confirmed that in recent weeks negotiations were indeed held with the Israeli tax authorities in connection with such proposed treaty between the countries. 

The increased use of technology in the workplace has created new concerns for both employers and employees in the area of privacy. Do Employers have the right to monitor their employees? Read more.

World Tax, the International guide to the world's leading tax firms, recognized Barnea as a recommended tax firm in Israel.

This has not gone unnoticed by foreign multinational companies. A study by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics shows that 63% of all investments in RD centers in Israel come from international technology companies operating in Israel. More than 67% of all employees in RD centers in Israel are employed by foreign companies who have established research centers, such as Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, HP and more. Such companies employ no less than 34.3 thousand employees in RD, with an annual increase of 2%. The presence of these corporate giants in Israel is growing, as many more companies understand the benefits and success they could have by placing their RD centers in the hotbed of innovation and invention. These outstanding figures are irritating to some, as the growth in the RD centers gives the foreign companies firstbid at breakthrough technologies. Science, Technology, and Space Minister Yaakov Peri went as far as saying that “Israel’s economy relies heavily on funding from other countriesfor research and development…this is a fragile situation…in which the main beneficiaries of Israeli creativity are the multinational companies.” But there’s another way to look at it. These centers are effectively nurturing the best and the brightest, training them and serving as incubators for budding entrepreneurs. Many of these employees leave the multinational companies ready to start their own start-ups, armed with the considerable skillset, knowledge, and experience acquired at these RD centers. Furthermore, having foreign RD centers and multinationals in Israel has proven to be a source for creating jobs, spawning new business and contributing to economic output.

The international IFLR 1000 ranking guide recognized the expertise of Barnea in Mergers and Acquisitions and Project Finance. In addition, Simon Jaffa is recognized as a 'leader in his field'.  The directory noted that “Barnea has always delivered excellent work. They have a profound understanding of our company's needs and expectations, and do it in an efficient, expedient, cost-effective manner. Their knowledge of the local market is a plus, and they are always a pleasure to work with.”

The initiative to apply 0% VAT for first-time homebuyers will be a temporary ordinance for seven years. The leading newspaper Globes described the legal effects of this and interviewed senior lawyer, Liat Keisary Yahalomi.

In recent years many kibbutz enterprises have grown from small manufacturers to international corporations. Echad Ha'am  magazine, by Globes, held a roundtable with six experts to discuss the latest changes and developments in the kibbutz sector. (attached, p.21)

The firm welcomes Adv. Ezra Katzen , a new partner in the technology department, Adv.  Daniel Lorber and Adv.  Mayer Winkler that will work in the firm’s commercial department.

This year’s summary of Maariv puts the spotlight on key legal developments in Israel, covering the following topics: Capital Markets (by Micky Barnea); Anti-Trust (by Zohar Lande); Constitutional Law; Criminal Law nfrastructure ; Tax and Money laudering

Ezra Katzen was the featured speaker at a meeting of the mentoring group of OurCrowd.  Ezra spoke about director liability in a talk entitled “Board Oversight: Oversee, Don’t Overlook”

An Israeli District Court ruled last week  that advertisements posted on websites as the result of the use of services provided by Google do not constitute spam according to the Israeli anti-spam law. For the full article, refer to PDF below.

Global Invacom Group Ltd.  of the United Kingdom entered into an agreement to acquire OnePath Networks Ltd. of Bet Shemesh, Israel. Barnea represented Global Invacom in the transaction.

The Israeli winner of the competition, BreezoMeter, was invented to make air pollution visible. Using real time big data analysis BreezoMeter presents air quality information at street level resolution. (Picture) BreezoMeter ran in the finals in front of six other companies, and will automatically enter the list of the World's Top 50 Most Promising Startups, known as the GEW50. The final competition was held in Jerusalem, in the presence of Jerusalem MayorNir Barkat, investment entities, entrepreneurs, startups, high-tech executives. Michael Barnea, Managing Partner from Barnea Co, said, "I am delighted at the opportunity Barnea has had to take part in this special event. With our experience in working with entrepreneurs in all phases of incorporation, raising capital and launching technology and life science startups, we were able to contribute is considering and selecting the contestants in the competition. Thus we were able to allow the next generation of entrepreneurs theopportunity to present their ideas and receive international exposure". StartUp Open was originally launched as part of the Kauffman Foundation in 2010 and is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. It is the world's largest competitions for startup companies, boosting participation from over 30 countries.

Since its enactment in 1959, the law for the Encouragement of Capital Investment is one of the most significant and meaningful means for the growth and development of the Israeli economy and its industry.

Further to the request of the Canadian businessman, Mr. Edwin (Benni) Tisch, businesswoman Hanna Gertler will testify in the Whitewater trial, in accordance with the decision of Justice Ruth Ronen, of the Economic Department of the District Court in Tel Aviv. Tisch claims that Whitewater and Yogev made false representations and acted fraudulently, causing Tisch to invest millions in Whitewater Holdings. Whitewater Holdings is in receivership and creditors are owed approximately NIS 19 million. To read more, please click here