The Legal Nature of Data and Information in the Context of the Concept of «Independent Materials»

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the study of civil law norms and judicial practice in relation to the regulation of the content of data arrays as one of the significant information assets in the context of the development of the digital economy. The paper reveals the legal nature of data and information, as well as the possibility of their qualification as independent materials. The conclusion is made about insufficient effectiveness of the mechanisms of legal regulation arising in connection with the circulation and protection of databases of civil legal relations due to definitive problems, namely the lack of definition of the concept of «independent materials,» as well as due to the lack of legal differentiation between data and information. In the process of a comprehensive study of the technical features of the concepts of «data» and «information» that form the basis for the formation of their legal nature, a reasonable conclusion is made about the need for a connection between the concept of «independent data» and information. The authors propose the criteria and mechanisms for distinguishing data and information.