Legal Regulation of Platform Relations: A Cybernetic Approach

The paper analyzes the theory and methods of the legal regulation of platform relations in the Russian law, which is determined by the characteristics, role, functions, and tasks of the branch of law, allowing the combined use of incentives and restrictions, direct and indirect enforcement methods. The contemporary economy has actually become a platform economy; digital platforms have become a public institution, they simplify and improve public and private legal relations. To analyze platform relations and develop their legal regulation techniques, we propose to use a cybernetic approach that studies legal management in complex dynamic systems to optimize and improve the management processes in solving specific legal problems. The paper is aimed to study existing doctrinal approaches to the definition, structure, and classification of legal frameworks with subsequent modeling of a legal framework for platform relations based on the cybernetic approach. The paper is structured based on its aim and includes sections on classification approaches to legal regulation; characteristics, essence, and purpose of legal frameworks; classification and structure of legal frameworks; concept and classification of platform relations; concept and characteristics of the legal regulation of platform relations; functions of the legal framework for platform relations. Based on the definitions of the legal regulation, digital platform, platform relations, and legal framework of platform relations developed by the authors, they propose a classification of platform relations based on their openness, type of mediation, features, functions, and characteristics of the proposed legal regulation of platform relations. In conclusion, the authors identified two modeling approaches to legal regulation of platform relations, including the approach providing for the general and special legal regulation and recommended for further research.