Adv. Ron Abelski, Partner in ERM’s Corporate and M&A department, in an interview with Channel 10 on VC investments in Israel.
Click here to watch: https://bit.ly/4hnr2fl
Category: News
The Bialik Project in Beit Shemesh, stalled for numerous years and reaching the offices of the Urban Renewal Authority, has finally progressed. Ultimately, IsraCap Grand joined forces with Afi Nativ, and together, the companies successfully navigated the competitive tender process. The companies have now received authorisation to demolish the initial residential units on the expansive site, where 2,000 apartments and tens of thousands of square metres of commercial and employment space will be constructed.
Legal representation was led by partners Yoav Zahavi and Golan Laihtman, alongside Advocate Shoval Yaacov
For the full article in Hebrew, click here: https://bit.ly/4kpiPKv
Nimrod Rosenblum, Managing Partner, and Head of Corporate & M&A at ERM in an op-ed for Calcalist. What are the political and economic obstacles that foreign investors face from the Israeli market following the regional escalations since October 7? Read the full article, in English, here: https://bit.ly/43ocF7d
As costs rise, tourism companies are increasingly opting to invest in Greek hotels, where real estate is more affordable, operational and labour costs are lower, and generous grants are available. Adv. Gilad Maoz, founding partner at ERM and head of the Real Estate and Hotels Department, explains: “This trend is occurring against a backdrop of uncertainty in the Israeli hotel market and a severe disruption to urban tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent conflict.”
For the full article and further insights into the Israeli-Greek hotelier market, click here: https://bit.ly/4ks5zF5
2024 was not easy for Israel’s real estate sector, including urban renewal. And yet, the market continues to operate and even grow. Adv. Yoav Zahavi, co-head of ERM’s Real Estate & Urban Renewal department, in an interview for Dun’s100 Forum: “One of the main challenges is the complexity of planning procedures, which despite relative improvement, are significantly present due to damages from the ongoing war…”
Click here for the full interview in Calcalist: https://bit.ly/3CWtSK3
Likud MK Ariel Kallner’s new bill, seeking to grant the Communications Minister the power to block websites and social networks without time limits or judicial oversight, exposes the true intentions: not to protect national security, but to create a broad-ranging government censorship mechanism. Adv. Rotem Perelman-Farhi, partner and head of the Technology and Privacy Law department at ERM, discusses this in an opinion piece for Walla.
For the full article in Hebrew, click here: https://bit.ly/3WPRZkH
In honour of the new Hebrew year, Adv. Gilad Maoz, Partner and Head of the Real Estate and Hospitality Department at Epstein Rosenblum Maoz (ERM), gave an interview to the Real Estate Centre magazine, reviewing the notable legal rulings in the real estate sector for the year.
‘This is a groundbreaking and highly significant judgement that finally ends the hardships and ordeals faced by many property rights holders.’
For the full interview on this year’s key rulings in planning, construction, and urban renewal, click here: https://bit.ly/4f0LxOm
Ongoing conflict, new regulations, and advanced technologies have created a reality in which our data is more exposed than ever, and the protections surrounding it are weakening. Is there a way to regain control?
Rotem Perelman-Farhi, Partner and Head of the Technology and Privacy Department at Epstein, Rosenblum, Maoz (ERM), comments on the matter, stating, “Under the pretext of war, we are witnessing a concerning trend of expanding surveillance and monitoring powers of security and enforcement authorities in Israel, with potentially serious repercussions for the right to privacy.”
She adds, “The expansion of these powers, whether through emergency orders or other means, may stem from a genuine need during times of war. However, the long-term implications on democracy and fundamental civil rights, particularly the right to privacy, must be carefully examined to ensure a balance between national security needs and the preservation of individual rights and democratic values. Such an examination should focus on aspects of transparency, rigorous parliamentary oversight, control mechanisms, and limitations on the scope and duration of surveillance, especially when dealing with powerful technological tools.”
For the full interview in Hebrew for Walla magazine, click here: https://bit.ly/3YgIXOF
Partner, Rotem Perelman-Farhi, and Adv. Dr. Laura Jelinek in a piece on the new AI Transparency Law in CA – from a legal perspective.
On September 28, 2024, the California governor signed into law bill AB 2013, the so-called “AI transparency act”. This new law requires generative AI developers to post certain documentation on their website regarding the data used to train their AI systems. The law applies to generative AI released on or after January 1, 2022, and developers must comply with its provisions by January 1, 2026.
Who is subject to the law? The law applies to AI “developers”, i.e. any person or entity that either develops a generative AI technology or service or that “substantially modifies it,” and that make the AI system available for use in California. The scope is therefore rather broad and means that service providers that engage in material retraining or fine-tuning of existing generative AI models also need to comply with the law.
Scope of the Law: The law regulates “generative artificial intelligence,” which is defined as AI “that can generate derived synthetic content, such as text, images, video, and audio, that emulates the structure and characteristics of the artificial intelligence’s training data.”
What do developers need to do in order to comply? If a developer makes a generative AI system publicly available to Californians, it has to disclose certain documentation regarding the data used to train the system or service, among others:
- The sources or owners of the datasets, and whether the developer purchased or licensed the datasets;
- an explanation how the data is used in the AI system or service;
- whether the datasets include any copyrighted or trademark-protected data;
- the time period during which the data was collected; and
- whether the datasets include “personal information” or “aggregate consumer information” as those terms are defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Exemptions: AB 2013 does not apply to generative AI systems or services that are (1) solely designed to ensure security and integrity, (2) solely intended for the operation of aircraft within the national airspace, or (3) developed for national security, military, or defense purposes, and are made available only to a federal entity.
Other AI laws in California
Together with AB 2013, several other AI-related bills have been signed into law in California. Several of these focus on the use of AI in healthcare and in education; another bill requires watermarking of AI-generated content under certain circumstances.
The governor vetoed, however, SB 1047, known as the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act. This bill, supported by Elon Musk and Anthropic, and opposed by OpenAI, Meta and Google, had proposed the introduction of new safety requirements for large-scale AI models. Developers of large AI models, among others, would need to establish full shutdown capabilities, outline safety and security protocols to prevent significant harm to public infrastructure, and adhere to specific audit requirements.
Partner, Rotem Perelman-Farhi, Head of ERM’s Technology & Data Protection department, and Adv. Dr. Laura Jelinek, in a new article on the First International Treaty on Artificial Intelligence signed by EU, UK, US, and Israel.
Read the full piece below:
