TMT Legal Digest: Key regulatory news in the TMT industry in 2025

We present to your attention a digest of regulations and practices in the field of technology, media, and communications for 2025.

As is traditional, the past year saw a large number of regulatory initiatives and innovations in the TMT sector.

Significant changes to intellectual property regulations were adopted. The new procedure for calculating compensation for exclusive rights infringements directly reflects provisions previously established in court practice. Increasing the maximum thresholds for «fixed» compensation will lead to higher compensation awards. We expect other intellectual property developments to emerge in 2026, including the launch of a service for calculating average royalty rates. The Russian Government’s roadmap, adopted at the end of the year, provides for the creation of this service.

Legislation in the field of personal data processing has also undergone changes. New regulations on depersonalizing personal data have emerged within the framework of the «Gosozero» data. In the coming years, we will see this institution applied and developed in practice. There is also a trend toward tighter control over data storage. This is evident in changes to the wording of localization requirements and a bill currently being considered by the State Duma that would amend the rules for determining foreign jurisdictions with an «adequate» level of personal data protection.

Serious amendments were made to the regulation of information technology and telecommunications. Last year, an active fight against fraud began with the adoption of the first «anti-fraud» regulatory package, which aims to prevent crimes and fraud using modern technologies. These amendments have resulted in significant changes and additional costs for businesses. However, according to regulators, the level of fraud has decreased. The State Duma is currently considering a second similar package, so we can expect the trend of combating fraud to continue in 2026.

Among the most anticipated changes for 2026 is the first bill on comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. The draft is expected to address issues such as defining «Russian» AI, the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of companies using AI, labeling AI content, and determining copyrights for AI and its results.

We hope the information in this digest is useful and interesting to you.