New Ethical Code Generator for Hebrew Blogs

Effi Fush, an Israeli law student and blogger, promised in early April to publish a first version of an ethical code for Hebrew bloggers. On early June, instead of a paper he launched a personalized ethical code generator, an online application designed to generate a personalized ethical code for individual bloggers.

"After I failed to jumpstart a public debate ...

Is An Internet Site A Newspaper?

According to the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court, the answer to the above question is yes. As regards the liability of a publisher pursuant to section 11 of the Defamation Law, 5725-1965, an Internet site is a newspaper, despite the fact that according to that section a newspaper means printed matter reproduced on a printing press (CC 145/00, Eliahu Weissman v. ...

Israeli National Lottery accusses government of delaying online lottery

The Israeli National Lottery (Mifal Hapais) accused the Ministry of Finance of delaying Internet lottery. The Pais chairman, Mr. Shimon Katzenelson, was quoted today on TheMarker as saying that it has been waiting for MOFs permit to conduct online lottery for over two years now. The Israeli Penal Code, 1977, prohibits betting, wagering and gambling at large, however ...

Global Business? Global Liability!

The Internet enables Israeli companies to carry on world-wide business. From computers in Israel they can offer their services to customers anywhere in the world. However, whilst entrepreneurs are captivated by the unlimited opportunities that the Internet is opening up to them, they tend to forget that world-wide business also has a legal price. An Israeli company's site that operates ...

The Registration Of Another's Trade Mark As A Domain Name - Prevention Of Access To Business

Section 3 of the Commercial Wrongs Law, 5759-1999 provides: "No person who carries on business shall unfairly prevent or impede access by customers, employees or agents to the business, property or service of another person who carries on business". A recent judgment of the District Court of Tel Aviv (per His Honour Judge Yehuda Zafet) has applied the section to ...

New Criterion for Disclosure of Internet Users' Identity

In 850/06 Rami Mor v. Yedioth Ahronot et al (22.4.2007), Judge Yitzhak Amit of the Haifa District Court set a new criterion for when the court should order an ISP to disclose the identity of an internet user who published libelous statements. According to his ruling, an anonymous user's identity is revealed when the user's online submissions amount to a ...

A While Elephant


The Computers Law, after an incubation period of twelve years, finally hatched -- as a white elephant. That was in 1995; commercial Internet had already made its debut in Israel, but Israeli legislation reflected an archaic vision of computers existing in splendid isolation. Astounding as it may seem, the legislators failed to grasp the most essential property of the computer, ...

The Liability of a Certification Authority Pursuant To the Israeli Electronic Signature Law

On 26th March 2001 the Knesset approved the Electronic Signature Law, 5761-2001 on second and third reading. The Law regulates the evidential status of electronic signatures, lays down the effect of electronic certificates (which confirm that a person has a particular signature verification device - the on-line equivalent of an identity document) and provides how a certification authority, which issues ...