The Digital Ecosystem as a Novel Economic Phenomenon and Legal Concept
https://doi.org/10.21684/2412-2343-2026-13-2-5-36
Abstract
Today’s economy is undergoing a fundamental institutional shift in which digital ecosystems have emerged not only as a key driver of development but also as a critical condition for market access for billions of users. Despite the rapid global proliferation of these phenomena, the evolution of legal regulation—from e-commerce and data protection to antitrust oversight of platforms—demonstrates a lag behind the dynamics of technological development. The existing regulatory framework fails to adequately address contemporary challenges that require comprehensive oversight of the platform economy. Traditional approaches are insufficient to address systemic integration, multi-layered control over data, and competitive dynamics of digital platforms and broader digital ecosystems. The absence of terminological consensus in differentiating key concepts such as “digital platform,” “ecosystem,” and “super-app” stems from the inadequacy of current economic and socio-legal theory to describe these new phenomena. The emerging legal lacunae, which fail to account for the multi-layered nature of ecosystems, pose significant risks to the protection of legally protected values. This is even more significant in the conditions of the global involvement of billions of users in digital ecosystems, where the cost of hard regulatory measures primarily risks being passed on to consumers. This article provides an analysis of the platform economy’s evolution from e-commerce to digital ecosystems, alongside the adaptation process of the regulatory environment to the changes. As a key scientific and practical outcome, the article proposes new systemic definitions of a complex digital platform, a digital ecosystem, and a meta-ecosystem. The definitions are grounded in the authors’ original classification of the values and characteristics related to digital ecosystems. This represents a foundational step towards filling doctrinal gaps and establishing a framework for effective legal regulation of this novel economic phenomenon, aligned with the developmental stages of the platform economy.
About the Authors
Y. I. Kuzminov
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Yaroslav I. Kuzminov – PhD, Academic Supervisor
20 Miasnitskaia St., Moscow, 101000
A. S. Koshel
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexey S. Koshel – Doctor of Law, Professor, School of Public Law, Faculty of Law
20 Miasnitskaia St., Moscow, 101000
E. V. Kruchinskaia
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ekaterina V. Kruchinskaia – PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Higher Mathematics, Associate Professor, School of Politics and Governance, Faculty of Social Sciences
20 Miasnitskaia St., Moscow, 101000
S. S. Dombaev
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Salambek S. Dombaev – Research Fellow, Research Centre for Legal Expert Analysis and Regulation
20 Miasnitskaia St., Moscow, 101000
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For citations:
Kuzminov Y.I., Koshel A.S., Kruchinskaia E.V., Dombaev S.S. The Digital Ecosystem as a Novel Economic Phenomenon and Legal Concept. BRICS Law Journal. 2026;13(2):5-36. https://doi.org/10.21684/2412-2343-2026-13-2-5-36
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