On Understanding and Legal Regulation of «Metaverses»

The development of digital technologies has led to the emergence of metaverses, a specific type of communicative environment and part of the digital space, which serve as a place for information exchange between users, business management, provision of educational and other services. According to the data provided by the Laboratory of Creative Industries of Moscow School of Management “Skolkovo”, by 2026 25 per cent of Russians will be spending at least an hour a day in metaverses. In 2025–2030, the annual increase in the Russian metaverse market will amount to 41.12 per cent and will reach 7.85 billion dollars. Despite this, for the time being neither the doctrine nor regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation contain an unequivocal understanding of the legal nature of metaverses and their distinguishing features, which impedes protection of public relationship in this sphere, including the application of criminal law. The present paper analyzes the extant classifi cations of metaverses, describes the main technologies of their construction, reveals the content of their constituent elements. It further analyzes the scientifi c approaches to the definition of metaverses, the regulatory framework, and the content of provisions about the regulation of their aspects. In conclusion, it identifies the distinguishing features of metaverses, which are of relevance for legal regulation.