LEGAL REGULATION OF THE SUPPLY OF GOODS WITH DIGITAL ELEMENTS: EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES FOR NATIONAL LEGISLATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/galician_studies/law-2025-12-7Keywords:
digital elements, digital content, sale of goods, contractual relations, international contracts, consumer, EU directivesAbstract
The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal regulation of the supply of goods with digital elements under European Union law and the national legislation of Ukraine. The provisions of Directives (EU) 2019/770 and 2019/771, the Law of Ukraine «On Digital Content and Digital Services», as well as relevant civil law regulations governing contractual relations in the field of circulation of digital content, digital services, and goods with digital elements, are examined. The study explores the specific features of the legal nature of goods with digital elements, determines their place within the system of civil law objects, and clarifies the particularities of the legal regime applicable to the corresponding contractual obligations. Special attention is devoted to the analysis of the functional criterion used by European and national legislators to distinguish between digital content, digital services, and goods with digital elements. Problems of legal qualification of contractual arrangements are identified in cases where the digital element is not essential for the basic functioning of the good but is nevertheless supplied together with it under a sales contract. Based on a comparative legal analysis, it is established that the existing directives do not ensure sufficient legal certainty regarding the boundaries between the application of rules on the sale of goods and those on the supply of digital content, which leads to the emergence of a so-called “grey zone” in legal regulation. The article demonstrates that the mechanical extension of the sales contract regime to all digital elements of goods, without taking into account their actual functional significance, does not correspond to the needs of the modern market and may result in a reduction of consumer protection. It is substantiated that, in many cases, the digital component constitutes the primary consumer value of a product, while the material carrier performs only an auxiliary function. A differentiated approach to the legal regulation of goods with digital elements is proposed, according to which digital elements necessary to ensure the basic functionality of goods should be governed by sales law provisions, whereas digital content and digital services aimed at extending the functional capabilities of goods should be qualified as independent objects of contractual regulation within contracts for the supply of digital content.
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