Legal Regulation of International Trade in Cryptographic Products and Technologies: WTO Tools and Regional Agreements

Objective: to demonstrate the complex legal landscape which is being changed under the influence of the modern digital landscape developing with the integration of cryptographic technologies into international trade and especially into the field of information and communication technology products. Methods: the study of the documents is built primarily on a set of ways of interpreting legal acts, which allows analyzing the content of primary legal sources, namely the provisions for cryptographic products circulation, and proposing solutions to fill the gaps in this area. Also, secondary sources were collected and summarized to form an idea of the study subject. Results: areas of uncertainty in the protection of digital cryptographic products under the WTO agreements have been identified, raising questions about the adequacy of existing protection measures. It is noted that in some countries this situation has led to restrictions or bans on the import and export of cryptographic technologies and encrypted data on security grounds. The authors pay attention to the concept of non-discriminatory treatment of cryptographic products, which is being developed primarily within the framework of regional trade agreements to address the shortcomings of WTO agreements. It is emphasized that regional trade agreements, although stimulating cooperation and competition in international trade, demonstrate various approaches to the regulation of cryptographic products. The authors note that this creates challenges for business and it must be prepared to take into account the specificities of regional agreements, local legislation and evolving legal requirements. A conclusion is made that it is important to balance the innovation protection with the promotion of trust and cooperation, between the cryptographic technologies development and the issues of security and intellectual property rights protection. Scientific novelty: a vision of the complex legal landscape surrounding cryptographic products is presented, showing the differences in approaches to regulating relations around digital and non-digital products under WTO agreements and approaches to regulating cryptographic products applied in regional trade agreements. Practical significance: the study results are of interest to government agencies, policy makers, commercial entities and individuals involved in international trade in cryptographic technologies, as they can help all stakeholders to make informed decisions, navigate the complexities of regulating these relationships and advocate for fair treatment in the evolving digital trade environment.