Legal indicia of entrepreneurship: terminological problems

Introduction: article 2 of the Russian Civil Code contains a legal definition of the term "entrepreneurship ". Six indicia of entrepreneurship differ it from other types of economic activity, however, their content is very difficult to define. In theory of law this situation breeds a lot of debates. The application of this rule in practice often leads to violation of rights of citizens and legal persons. Why does this happen? The answer to this question is given in this article. Purpose: to identify the real meaning of the term "entrepreneurship " based on the literal interpretation of the indicia contained in the legal definition of this concept. Methods: a formal-logical method and a comparative legal method are used. Results: as a result of the study, we see a lot of logical fallacies made by the Russian legislator in formulating the legal definition. Based on the Russian legislation, the author of this article has formulated a new doctrinal concept of the term "entrepreneurship". Moreover, the relation of commerce and business activities has been investigated to differentiate between these concepts. Conclusions: the current legal definition of entrepreneurial activities in Russia is groundlessly complicated and comprises secondary indicia that are of no significance. There are only two essential indicia in this definition (a special purpose and the way to achieve it). All other indicia are formal and unable to distinguish entrepreneurship from adjacent kinds of economic activities.