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The current article examines the peculiarities and legal nature of Bitcoin, Lifecoin, Namecoin, Quark, WebMoney, Ripple and other virtual currencies. There is no single understanding of the legal essence of virtual currency in the world today; therefore, the legal status of such currencies is not officially fixed and there are no official rates of Bitcoins or other crypto currencies against national currencies. Their rate is determined in the course of trading at virtual Bitcoin exchanges and exchange platforms. Such a situation is dictated by the novelty of legal relations in the field of crypto currency circulation, the risks of their implementation, as well as security problems. The main goal of the study is to define the legal nature and features of virtual currencies and the possibilities of legislative regulation of using crypto currencies. When writing the article, the methods of collecting and studying singularities have been used, as well as generalization methods, the methods of scientific abstraction, and the methods of studying regularities. The study has concluded that it is advisable to provide for the licensing of mining and crypto trading at the international level, customers should be identified when selling and buying virtual currencies, introducing a special verification procedure for Bitcoin users will prevent the abuse of virtual currencies for money laundering and terrorism financing. As a result of the analysis, a definition has been given, and the main features and functions of the virtual currency have been highlighted. It has been proved that virtual currencies are a new kind of electronic money stored in computer memory, the monetary value of the virtual currency is managed by means of a technical device. Virtual currency is a new means of payment and does not require access to deposit accounts.

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The article analyzes key instruments of international legal regulation of preimplantation genetic diagnostics (PGD) procedure. The authors substantiate the conclusion that the requirements and principles formulated in these instruments can be successfully used for the development and improvement of the national legal framework aimed at regulating the PGA. The main directions of such use are defined. First, it is necessary to consider the existence of genetic predisposition to a particular disease or chromosomal disorder (the medical purpose) and provide a qualified consultation of a genetic scientist concerning the mechanism and consequences of diagnostics. Secondly, the legal regulation of genetic information obtained through the PGA requires an independent normative framework: determining the framework the law-maker must be guided by the fact that any intervention in the human genome aimed at modifying it may be carried out only for preventive, diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. In this regard, it is important to prohibit the PGA for social purposes (selection of embryo according to specific characteristics, establishment of compatibility between a donor and a recipient, looking beyond the prohibition to choose the embryo gender that is currently imposed under Russian legislation). Third, a separate regulatory framework is needed to resolve the problem of informing the patient about the results of examination: in addition to the right to be informed of the results of examination, it is also necessary to recognize the individual’s «right not to know,» particularly relevant to predictive genetic research.

In the article, such categories as cyber-physical, cyber-biological and artificial cognitive systems (artificial intelligence) are analyzed in order to determine their characteristics important for legal science and practice. Different ways of defining the above mentioned concepts are examined. It is determined that a cyber-physical system includes a variety of technical means and is not easily placed within legal framework. Incorporation of this term in legal regulations through the description of its key characteristics is recommended. A cyber-biological system has the same structure as a cyber-physical system except that the physical component is replaced by biological one. It is argued that the relevance of the analysis of cyber-biological systems will depend on further scientific achievements in this area. The crucial property of the artificial cognitive system (artificial intelligence) is the ability to act independently and rationally. The authors conclude that the technical means covered by cyber-physical and cyber-biological systems acquire autonomy only if they have artificial intelligence. Finally, it is stated that the scope of social relations arising in the new reality will include only the technical means (objects regardless of their nature: physical, biological or virtual) able to perform legally significant actions independent from an individual person.