To ensure the protection and preservation of digital heritage, it is essential to provide proper legal regulation for the use of information systems designed for its management. The aim of this research is to analyze the practical application of information systems for managing digital heritage, to identify the regulatory framework governing their operation, and to develop proposals for integrating digital-heritage management systems into legal processes.
To achieve this goal, several research methods were applied:
• The empirical method made it possible to obtain the necessary data for examining the essence and content of the concept of digital heritage and its management.
• The observation method enabled the assessment of indicators used to determine which information systems are applied for digital-heritage management.
• A special legal method was used to formulate an independent legal position regarding the integration of digital-heritage management information systems into legal processes.
The study identified three approaches to defining the concepts of “digital heritage” and “digital cultural heritage,” emphasizing the dual meaning of the term “digital-heritage management.” It is shown that the information and telecommunication systems currently implemented in Ukraine for managing digital heritage are used primarily in the context of preserving all of its forms.
The legal basis for the use of digital-heritage management information systems includes:
• provisions of national legislation defining the directions for the creation, protection, and preservation of digital resources that constitute digital heritage;
• provisions of international legal acts recognized by Ukraine as binding;
• decisions by relevant entities aimed at optimizing digital-heritage management processes under their control.
The study notes that the concepts of “digital heritage,” “digital-heritage management,” and “digital cultural heritage” require regulatory clarification. Particular attention is drawn to the need for legislation to define the list of digital-heritage objects subject to protection by the state, local communities, as well as individuals and legal entities.
To improve legislation in the field of digital-heritage management, the following measures are proposed:
• develop unified requirements for software-hardware complexes and information-telecommunication systems used for digitizing cultural heritage, since each sector currently uses its own technical solutions;
• legally define the categories of users of digital-heritage management information systems and their powers regarding management during digitization processes;
• regulate access to digital heritage stored in electronic systems of Ukraine and the EU, ensuring open access while restricting such access for entities from the aggressor state;
• regulate property rights to digital heritage and to information-telecommunication systems for digital-heritage management created by individuals, legal entities, the state, or territorial communities.