Latest Updates

January 17, 2018

Barnea & ACC Seminar – Blockchain, Bitcoin, and ICOs

We are hosting today together with the Association of Corporate Counsel a seminar on blockchain and digital currencies. Dr. Zvi Gabbay will discuss new regulatory challenges, while Micky Barnea will address blockchain and smart contracts. Tal Cohen, Compass Blockchain Solutions's CEO, will give a special introductory lecture on bitcoin and digital currencies.

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January 16, 2018

Increasing Competition and Reducing Inequality between Israeli and Foreign E-Commerce Websites

Online shopping websites not owned by Israelis, or whose owners have no registered representation in Israel (even if the website is offered in Hebrew), tend to enjoy a significant advantage over Israeli-owned websites. Namely, these foreign-owned websites operate according to the perception that they are not subject to the provisions of the Israeli Consumer Protection Law.

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December 27, 2017

Everything You Need to Know about ICOs

Barnea is hosting an ICOs and digital currencies event today. Dr. Zvi Gabbay will lecture on regulation opportunities and challenges, while Harel Perlmutter will discuss the taxation of cryptographic coins and the Tax Authority's position.

December 26, 2017

Fierce Battle over Banning Binary Options Reaches High Court of Justice

Following a bill promoted by the Israel Securities Authority, and passed by the Knesset, outlawing binary options trading by Israeli companies, Yukom Communications LTD and its controlling shareholder, Yossi Herzog, filed a petition to the High Court of Justice. Overseeing the filing of the petition were Barnea attorneys Zohar Lande, Eyal Nachshon, and Moran Bickel.

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December 21, 2017

Article: Is Israeli Regulators’ Approach toward ICOs Ill-Advised?

Dr. Zvi Gabbay, Head of our Capital Markets Department, has published an article in Financial Magnates. It discusses the Israel Securities Authority's approach to Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) and cryptocurrencies and how this approach compares to other jurisdictions.

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December 18, 2017

Telemarketing Restrictions

An interview following the Ministry of Economy and Industry's recently published draft bill placing restrictions on telemarketing.

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December 13, 2017

Israel Securities Authority Blows Up the Bitcoin Bubble

Dr. Zvi Gabbay, head of our firm's Capital Markets Department, gave several media interviews (in Heb) following the Israel Securities Authority Chairman's remarks that companies whose values are based on bitcoin will not be included in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange's (TASE) indices until a suitable regulatory framework is established. Zvi noted it is important to distinguish between the inclusion of companies engaged in trading and investing in virtual currencies on TASE's indices and the possibility that such companies will actually be traded on TASE.

Financial radio program (starting min' 05:15)

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November 28, 2017

Seminar on Data Protection and Privacy

Barnea is hosting today another round of lectures for startups and entrepreneurs on the subject of data protection and privacy. Also to be discussed is the obligation of accessibility on the Internet. In addition, the seminar will feature a guest lecture from the Israeli Digital Organization.

November 16, 2017

Privacy in the Workplace - the Use of Cameras

At the end of October 2017, the Privacy Protection Authority published a guideline about the use of surveillance cameras in the workplace and within the framework of employment relations. This guideline does not come as a surprise, as a draft of it was already published last year for public comments.

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November 14, 2017

The Israel Antitrust Authority is Proposing Comprehensive Amendments to the Restrictive Trade Practices Law

Recently, the Israel Antitrust Authority (IAA) published a memorandum of law entitled “Strengthening Enforcement and Reducing the Regulatory Burden.” At issue is a comprehensive amendment to the Restrictive Trade Practices Law.

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November 8, 2017

Offering Services of Securities Trading Systems

Recently a new Amendment to the Securities Law, concerning the restructuring of the stock exchange, came into effect.

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October 30, 2017

EU-US Privacy Shield – Recent Developments

On October 18, 2017, the EU Commission published its report on the review of the functioning of the EU-US Privacy Shield, which was established to allow the transfer of personal data from the European Union to the United States.

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October 24, 2017

Israel Securities Authority Defeated in Proceeding against Portfolio Manager

The Administrative Enforcement Committee rejected an administrative claim filed by the Israel Securities Authority against portfolio manager Ran Amitai for using inside information on a deal with the biotechnology company Compugen. Ran Amitai and Cramim Capital Markets were represented by Dr. Zvi Gabbay and Adv. Sapir Malul.

Article from The Marker

Article from Calcalist

October 10, 2017

Ministry of Economics and Industry Seeks to Impose Restrictions on Telemarketing

The Ministry of Economics and Industry recently published a draft bill for an amendment to the Consumer Protection Law. This draft bill proposes placing restrictions on telemarketing.

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September 28, 2017

Revision of the Regulations Requiring Websites and Applications to be Accessible for People with Disabilities

The Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee recently approved a comprehensive revision of Regulation 35 of the Accessibility to Online Services Regulations under the Equal Rights for People with Disabilities Regulations (Service Accessibility Adjustments), 2013.

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September 26, 2017

Article on Regulatory Challenges of FinTech Companies Featured in TheMarker

Micky Barnea, the firm's managing partner,published an article on the regulatory challenges facing Fintech companies, in TheMarker's FinTech Magazine. Micky notes that entry barriers to this field are not only the development stage, but also the strength of the regulatory solution. Therefore, acquired knowledge can become a real intellectual property and carry enormous potential.

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September 26, 2017

Blocking Online Gambling Websites – New Israeli Legislation

The Israeli parliament has enacted new legislation that will authorize Israeli courts to issue orders that block, inter alia, online gambling website.

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September 25, 2017

Privacy and Cookies – the New Balance Introduced by Apple

Apple is set to introduce a new feature in the Safari browser that will significantly reduce advertisers' ability to collect and use personal data. The new feature, called Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), imposes a 24-hour time limit on third party tracking cookies and a 30-day time limit on first party cookies.

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September 24, 2017

Israeli Binary Options CEO Arrested in US on Suspicion of Committing Electronic Fraud

The Israeli CEO of a binary options company has been arrested by federal investigators in the United States on suspicion of committing electronic fraud. Dr. Zvi Gabbay, partner and head of our firm's Capital Markets Department, is representing the company in this matter. In an interview with TheMarker on the subject, he noted this is a relatively early stage in the legal process and that an indictment has not yet been filed.

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September 24, 2017

Registration for an Application Is Tantamount to a Binding Contract

The New York Circuit Court of Appeals ruled recently that when a new user confirms the “terms of service” and “privacy policy” on an application’s registration screen, even without perusing the legal documents provided through these links, such approval suffices to raise the user’s legal engagement with the company to the standing of a binding contract.

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