Information technologies and authority: About amendments to the Federal Law ‘On information, information technologies and information protection

The State Duma and the government decided not to develop a single law on the Internet. Instead they will prepare some amendments to the Federal Law ‘On information, information technologies and information protection’.

The development of the amendments will be completed by October of 2010. The amendments are meant to eliminate variant readings which exist in the Russian legislation where the word ‘Internet’ occurs 1700 times.

At present the project is at the stage of preliminary discussion. The main idea of amendments according to the author of the law on Mass Media Mikhail Fedotov, is to ensure the application of ordinary laws to online sector. The changes in view must fix the essential legal concepts in relation to the Internet.

The efforts to regulate the Russian segment of Internet have been undertaken for several years in a row. Until now none of them was acknowledged successful. The largest impact on legal relations in Internet was exerted by the adoption of the Fourth part of the Civil Code covering the concept of intellectual property. In particular this document made it obligatory to conclude written agreements with possessor of rights for the content in order to use it.