dirightDigital Law JournalЦифровое право2686-9136Maxim Inozemtsev10.38044/2686-9136-2025-6-18diright-327Research ArticleARTICLESСТАТЬИDomain Name: Digital Asset, Identifier, or Some Other Kind of Object?Доменное имя: цифровой актив, идентификатор или иной объект?https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4961-470XТитовИ. Е.TitovI. E.

магистр права (Свободный университет Берлина), аспирант, кафедра гражданского права и процесса и международного частного права, Юридический институт, Российский университет дружбы народов имени Патриса Лумумбы, юрист, практика защиты прав интеллектуальной собственности (IP/IT/Media), международная юридическая фирма ADVANT Beiten

117198, Москва, ул. Миклухо-Маклая, 6

Ilya E. Titov — Ll.M. (Free University of Berlin), Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil Law and Procedure and International Private Law, Peoples Friendship University of Russia Named After Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University), Lawyer, IP/IT/Media Practice Group, International Law Firm ADVANT Beiten

6, Miklukho-Maklaya St., Moscow, russia, 117198

1142230458@rudn.ruhttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-8635-8103АлымоваЕ. В.AlymovaE. V.

магистр права (НИУ ВШЭ), аспирант

117218, Москва, ул. Б. Черемушкинская, 34

Ekaterina V. Alymova — LL.M. (HSE University), Ph.D. Student

34, Bolshaya Cheremushkinskaya St., Moscow, 117218

ekaterinaeuteeva@yandex.ruРоссийский университет дружбы народов имени Патриса ЛумумбыРоссияRUDN UniversityRussian FederationИнститут законодательства и сравнительного правоведения при Правительстве Российской ФедерацииРоссияThe Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian FederationRussian Federation202505062026644381Copyright © Titov I.E., Alymova E.V., 20262026Титов И.Е., Алымова Е.В.Titov I.E., Alymova E.V.Данная работа распространяется под лицензией Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.https://www.digitallawjournal.org/jour/article/view/327

This article is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of the legal nature of a domain name as a special object functioning in the digital environment and proactively involved in civil commerce. The relevance of this work is attributable to the lack of a uniform approach used to qualify domain names in the legislation and judicial practices of different legal systems, which complicates the establishment of effective legal remedies. The goal of this analysis is to identify the prevailing doctrinal and law enforcement approaches applied to determine the legal nature of a domain name in the Russian, German and American legal systems and also to determine possible legal remedies in the respective countries. The authors have used as materials here the regulatory and legal acts, judicial practices and sources of academic research of the indicated legal systems. The underlying concepts of the legal nature of a domain name are analysed in the article: as address facilities, as a digital asset, identifier and item of intellectual property. They demonstrate that a limited technical understanding of a domain name does not reflect its actual role in the digital economy. The authors highlight the prevalence of a fragmented and contradictory approach in Russian law—by contrast, the German and American legal systems provide more flexible models of legal qualification, which enable the use of existing legal institutes to protect the rights of a domain name administrator. Particular attention is paid to analysis of a domain name as a subject of property rights and as a digital asset that has independent economic value and is capable of generating turnover. The authors conclude that a domain name has a hybrid legal nature, combining features of different legal categories, and substantiate the need to adopt a differentiated approach to its legal qualification, depending on the functions being performed, which makes it possible to ensure a balance of the interests of participants in civil commerce and enhance the effectiveness of the legal protection that is provided.

Настоящая статья посвящена комплексному исследованию правовой природы доменного имени как особого объекта, функционирующего в цифровой среде и активно участвующего в гражданском обороте. Актуальность работы обусловлена отсутствием единообразного подхода к квалификации доменных имен в законодательстве и судебной практике различных правопорядков, что затрудняет формирование эффективных механизмов их правовой охраны и защиты. Целью исследования является выявление преобладающих доктринальных и правоприменительных подходов к определению правовой природы доменного имени в правовых системах России, Германии и США, а также определение возможных способов правовой защиты соответствующих прав. В качестве материалов использованы нормативные правовые акты, судебная практика и научные источники указанных правопорядков. В статье анализируются основные концепции правовой природы доменного имени: как средства адресации, цифрового актива, идентификатора и объекта интеллектуальной собственности. Показано, что узкотехническое понимание доменного имени не отражает его фактической роли в цифровой экономике. Выявлено, что в российском праве преобладает фрагментарный и противоречивый подход, в то время как германская и американская правовые системы демонстрируют более гибкие модели правовой квалификации, допускающие использование существующих правовых институтов для защиты прав администраторов доменных имен. Особое внимание уделено анализу доменного имени как объекта имущественных прав и цифрового актива, обладающего самостоятельной экономической ценностью и оборотоспособностью. Авторы приходят к выводу о гибридной правовой природе доменного имени, сочетающей в себе признаки различных правовых категорий, и обосновывают необходимость дифференцированного подхода к его правовой квалификации в зависимости от выполняемых функций, что позволяет обеспечить баланс интересов участников гражданского оборота и повысить эффективность правовой защиты.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest present.