Antitrust / Competition Law

Antitrust / Competition Law

Meitar regularly advises clients from a variety of industries on matters relating to compliance with antitrust and competition law, including with respect to monopolies, restraints of trade, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. We also work with some of the world’s largest international law firms on the Israeli antitrust filings for major multinational merger transactions, and on assessing transactions under the Israeli antitrust law.

Our antitrust group is in frequent contact with the teams of the Antitrust Authority and is experienced in finding the creative and suitable answers to competitive concerns. The firm’s antitrust attorneys regularly represent companies before the Israeli Antitrust Tribunal regarding, inter alia, appeals over the Antitrust Authority’s decisions and requests for the approval of restrictive arrangements. Proceedings before the Antitrust Tribunal, which usually include a review of economic opinions, are unique and include different procedural rules from those applying to regular courts. The firm’s antitrust attorneys also appear before Israel’s Supreme Court and District Courts on matters relating to trade regulation and competition law. Our antitrust group has wide experience in handling cartel cases and representing clients charged with cartel offences in criminal proceedings.

We regularly advise some of Israel’s largest companies, as well as multinational companies with Israeli operations, on antitrust compliance issues.

Meitar’s competition and antitrust group receives high rankings from independent guides, such as Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and PLC Which lawyer? Yearbook.

Representative experience

Mergers:

• Representation of Broadcom in the antitrust aspects arising from the acquisition of Provigent.
• Representation of Goldman Sachs and TPG Holdings on the one hand and Ontex on the other hand in the merger control proceedings in connection with the joint acquisition of GS and TPG of Ontex. Ontex is a company engaged in the manufacture and sales of hygienic disposables.
• Representation of Altice Group in the antitrust aspects arising from the acquisition of Israeli cellular operator Mirs from Motorola.
• Representation of Pfizer and King Pharmaceuticals in the merger control proceedings in connection with the merger of Pfizer and King.
• Representation of both Veolia and Egged (the Israeli leading public transportation cooperative and the sole provider of public bus transportation in Jerusalem) in antitrust aspects relating to the acquisition by Egged of Jerusalem Light Rail from Veolia.
• Representation of El-Al Israel Airline in antitrust aspects (both merger control issues and abuse of dominant position issues) arising from the cargo agreement with Maman Cargo Terminals.
• Representation of Danaher and Beckman Coulter in the merger control proceedings in connection with the merger of Danaher and Beckman Coulter. Beckman Coulter is engaged in the biomedical testing industry.
• Representation of Fiat and VM Motori in the merger approval of the transaction according to which Fiat acquired 50% of VM Motori and became the joint controller of VM Motori together with General Motors.
• Representation of G4S/ Hashmira, the leading home security company in Israel in the acquisition of its competitor, Aminuth, which is the second leading home security company in Israel.
• Representation of Mobile Access in the merger control approval and proceedings in connection with the acquisition of Mobile Access by Corning.
• Representation of Fishman Group (the franchisee of Toys-R-Us in Israel) and the Red Pirate toy chain in getting antitrust approval to the acquisition of the Red Pirate by the Fishman Group.        
• Representation of Euler Hermes regarding antitrust aspects of investment in a foreign trade risk insurance company.       
• Representation of S&P/McGraw Hill regarding Israeli merger clearance for its acquisition of Maalot, Israel’s leading independent credit rating agency.    
• Representation of Hewlett-Packard (HP) regarding Israeli merger clearance for its acquisitions of ScitexVision and NUR Macroprinters.
• Representation of Hewlett-Packard (HP) regarding Israeli merger clearance for its acquisitions of ScitexVision and NUR Macroprinters and EDS.   
• Representation of Wind River regarding antitrust aspects of its acquisition by Intel.
• Representation of Silver Lake regarding Israeli merger clearance for its acquisition of Skype.
• Representation of Oil Refineries (ORL) in its mergers with Israel Petrochemical Enterprises and with Carmel Olefins.
• Representation of Fiat and Chrysler in the merger between the two automobile firms pursuant to Chrysler’s bankruptcy filing in the US.
• Representation of Applied Materials, a worldwide leader in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, in the acquisition of Negevtech’s IP.
• Representation of Vector Capital, a private equity fund, in the merger with Aladdin Knowledge Systems, an information security company.

Cartels:

• Representation of corporation and executives involved in the ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Antitrust Authority of the bakeries market.
• Representation of corporation and executives involved in the ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Antitrust Authority of the tree trimming industry.   
• Representation of Meir Ezra Group in a precedent-setting case concerning an alleged cartel involving the frozen meat market.
• Representation of Milotal in criminal proceedings regarding an alleged cartel in the frozen vegetables market.  
• Representation of Makhteshim Agan in criminal proceedings regarding an alleged pesticides cartel.

Antitrust Litigation:

• Representation of El-Al Israel Airline in the hearing proceedings and in the petition filed with the High Court of Justice, in connection with its request to operate domestic flights.
• Representation of the CEO of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel’s Soldiers in hearing proceedings in front of the Israeli Antitrust Authority regarding his involvement in a restrictive arrangement with Israel’s legal gambling monopoly (Mifal Hapais).
• Representation of Egged (the Israeli leading public transportation cooperative) in pending procedures in front of the Antitrust Tribunal regarding Superbus’s (other public transportation provider) appeal against the merger between Egged and Connex (the operator of the Jerusalem Light Rail).
• Representation of Home Center, one of Israel’s leading DIY and HI chains, in an appeal to the Antitrust Tribunal regarding the merger of ACE and Rozenfeld – two competing chains.
• Representation of United Media, as well as two leading advertising agencies regarding their joint venture for acquisition of media, and filing an application for the approval of a restrictive arrangement with the Antitrust Tribunal.
• Representation of the Rishon LeZion municipality, regarding the reorganization of public transportation in the municipality of Rishon LeZion and a joint venture between public transportation providers in connection with such reorganization.
• Mediation in a dispute between certain foreign airline companies and the Travel Agencies Association regarding travel agency commissions.
• Representation of Gan Shmuel, the largest Israeli exporter of processed food, in an appeal filed with the Antitrust Tribunal concerning a merger in the beverage industries.