Search by Practice
Latest Updates / Startups
September 19, 2021
Israeli Privacy Protection Authority Publishes New Statement Concerning Location Data in Workplaces
There has been an uptrend in recent years of employers using a variety of technological tools to supervise their employees and oversee the quality of their work. The use of these tools has become more prevalent due to the shift of many organizations to working from home last year.
September 14, 2021
District Court Ruling: Azrieli Foundation Exempt from Paying Taxes on Dividends
An Israeli district court rejected the Israel Tax Authority’s attempt to force the Azrieli Foundation to pay taxes in the amount of tens of millions of shekels for dividends it received and continues to receive due to its holding in Azrieli Group's shares. The court accepted the tax appeal, which was filed by Barnea Jaffa Lande, and ruled that the Azrieli Foundation, a non-profit organization that works for the public good in Israel, is not the controlling owner of Azrieli Group and is therefore entitled to a tax exemption. The court ruled, among other things, that the ITA’s position could have a chilling effect in relation to business entities’ support of philanthropic associations. Our firm's Zohar Lande, Eyal Nachshon, Harel Perlmutter, Nir Ziman, and Omer Keydar represented the Azrieli Foundation throughout the proceedings, which lasted about five years.
September 14, 2021
Guardianship Struggle over Eitan Biran – Everything You Need to Know about Writing a Will
In recent days, the guardianship struggle over Eitan Biran, the young boy whose parents and little brother were killed in a cable railway disaster in Italy, has made headlines again. This sensitive event has aroused interest around the question of writing a will at a young age. Adv. Liat Keisary addresses this issue of concern for many parents in an interview with Israel Hayom.
September 2, 2021
Class Actions: What Happens When the Alleged “Wrongdoing” Has Already Been Rectified?
Motions to certify class actions have long since become one of the most prevalent challenges facing private and public companies providing services to the public. Empirical studies show a gradual and nearly steady rise in the number of motions to certify class actions being filed since the Israeli Class Actions Law was enacted in 2006 and to date. If initially, a few dozen motions were filed annually, today, hundreds and even thousands of such motions are filed each year with the various courts, which imposes a heavy burden on the courts and on the parties being sued.
August 31, 2021
Israeli High Court Ruling: Knesset Finance Committee Limited in Authority to Approve Tax Benefits for NPOs
The Israeli High Court of Justice ruled recently that section 46 of the Income Tax Ordinance does not authorize the Knesset Finance Committee to exercise broad discretion in recognizing NPOs and in fact the Committee’s approval is limited solely to that related to its supervisory role.
August 26, 2021
Adv. Dror Arad-Ayalon Joins Firm as Special of Counsel
Adv. Dror Arad-Ayalon has joined our firm as a special advisor in the fields of white collar, ethics, and defamation. Dror has earned a reputation for his extensive experience in representing defendants in criminal cases that have received widespread media coverage.
August 25, 2021
Europe: Amazon Slapped with Record-Breaking Privacy Fine
E-commerce giant Amazon reported in its financial statements at the end of last month that the Luxembourg data protection authority had imposed on it a fine totaling EUR 746 million. The fine appears to have been laid on Amazon for its use of users’ personal data for targeted advertising, in violation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
August 17, 2021
Can an Employer Require an Employee to Get Vaccinated?
In the attempt to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, many questions have arisen with regard to proper workplace conduct.
Can an employer require an employee to get vaccinated? Can it force an employee to take a COVID test? Who bears the cost of the test? How should the quarantine period be calculated?
Netta Bromberg, the head of our Employment Department, addresses all these questions in an interview with Maariv.
August 12, 2021
Indictments Filed in US for Fraudulent Receipt of Federal Financial Assistance from CARES Act
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The volume of assistance, totalling USD 2.8 trillion, provided financial aid to individuals and organizations facing economic hardship and access to loans with convenient terms for the purpose of paying salaries and other specific expenses under a program called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Many Israeli companies operating in the United States also submitted applications for grants and loans under the PPP.
The initiative, while commendable, also opened the door for those seeking to exploit the government assistance to commit fraud and deceit.
August 11, 2021
Webinar with IBM — Growth Tools for Infant Startups
Barnea is hosting today in collaboration with IBM a webinar on the technological and business challenges that startups in their infancy stages should pay attention to.
As part of the webinar, firm partner Yuval Lazi will discuss the business and legal aspects that exist along the way. He will provide participants with tools on how to get their startups on the right path to success.
August 11, 2021
Calcalist Interview – Reason for Years-Long Drop in Establishment of New Tech Ventures
According to data from the Israel Innovation Authority, since 2014, when 1,404 new startups were formed, there has been a steady decline in the establishment of new startups. For instance, in 2020, only 520 startups were formed.
Firm partner Yuval Lazi, an expert in the high-tech field, addresses the phenomenon and analyzes the data in an interview with Calcalist on the subject.
August 9, 2021
Workplace Delta Variant Preparedness: New Guidelines on Quarantine Payments for Employees
Due to the recent increase in incidences of COVID-19, there has been an update to the guidelines on quarantine payments to employees. Here are the main points of the update, for your convenience.
August 8, 2021
Amendment to Israeli Competition Rules – RPM Arrangements
The block exemption for non-horizontal arrangements recently underwent a significant change. Beyond changing the name of the block exemption to “Rules of Economic Competition,” a significant amendment was introduced relating to the issue of price restraints in vertical arrangements.
August 4, 2021
Tax Facts on Renting Out Apartments in Israel and Abroad – Podcast with Firm Partner Harel Perlmutter on Calcalist Website
Are you renting out an apartment? It is important to be aware of the existing rental income tax tracks, if there is a difference between the taxation of short-term rental apartments and long-term rental apartments, and the rules on renting out apartments abroad.
Adv. Harel Perlmutter, partner and head of our firm's Tax Department, addresses all these questions in a comprehensive podcast on the taxation of renting out apartments in Israel and abroad.
August 2, 2021
Class Actions Against Israeli Public Companies for Failing to Meet Mandatory Accessibility Requirements
Dozens of motions were filed in recent weeks to certify class actions against some of the most well-known and leading publicly traded companies and reporting corporations in Israel. These motions to certify class actions are similar in nature (apart from the different defendants) and most were filed by the same plaintiffs-petitioners and through the same attorneys.
July 29, 2021
Comments and Insights on the Capital Structure of Startup Companies
In the regular corporate world, the capital structure of a company usually means the ratio between the company’s equity (money the company’s owners invested in it) and debt capital (external funding injected into the company by banks and other loans).
For technology companies, however, the term “capital structure” usually refers to the division of the company’s ownership among the entrepreneurs and investors subsequent to the investment rounds in the company.
Thus, holding 50 shares of a regular company that has 1,000 issued shares represents ownership of 5% of the company’s shares and entitlement to receive 5% of its distributable profits.
However, if you hold 50 shares of a tech startup company that has 1,000 issued shares, this does not necessarily mean you are entitled to receive 5% of the proceeds in the event of an “exit” and the startup’s sale to a third party. Over the years, investors and entrepreneurs in startup companies have developed ownership structures that bear no resemblance to the ownership formula used in “regular” companies.
July 26, 2021
Zvi Gabbay Interviewed by Calcalist as Expert on White-Collar Crime
Zvi Gabbay, the head of our firm's Capital Markets Department, was interviewed by Calcalist along with several other of Israel's leading lawyers in the field of white-collar crime and criminal law.
Zvi addressed the core issues of the field and the impact of COVID-19, and provided his forecast for several ongoing major cases.
July 21, 2021
Representing Azrieli Group in NIS 2.8 Billion Acquisition of Norwegian Data Center Company
Our firm represented Azrieli Group, the largest income-producing real estate company in Israel, in a share purchase transaction of the Norwegian company 'Green Mountain' for NIS 2.8 billion. The Norwegian company operates three server farms in Norway and holds contracts with a total volume of 24 megawatts.
July 20, 2021
Representing Azrieli Group in Franchise Agreement with AllSaints
Our firm represented Azrieli Group in the acquisition of the franchise for leading British fashion brand AllSaints. Firm partner Ariella Dreyfuss represented the client in the franchise agreement. The first store will be launched in August 2021.
July 19, 2021
The Demand for Directors in Publicly Traded Companies
The demand for directors in publicly traded companies is increasing in light of the growing wave of IPOs on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
An expert on the capital market, Micky Barnea was interviewed on the subject by Globes. He explained the significance of the director position in companies, as well as the role's related risks and responsibilities.