LEGAL PROBLEMS OF INHERITING DIGITAL ASSETS: UZBEKISTAN AND FOREIGN PRACTICE
Keywords:
digital inheritance, cryptocurrency, digital assets, inheritance law, blockchain, cross-border inheritance, digital will, online accounts, private keyAbstract
The rapid expansion of digital technologies raises fundamentally new challenges for inheritance law. This article provides a comparative analysis of the legal regulation of digital asset inheritance, encompassing cryptocurrencies, social media accounts, digital intellectual property, and online financial assets. The research examines the experience of the United States, the European Union, China, Japan, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. Particular attention is given to gaps in the Civil Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, including the absence of clear norms on digital assets as objects of inheritance law, jurisdictional challenges related to blockchain-based assets, barriers to accessing a deceased person’s online accounts, and the need to specify digital assets explicitly in wills. The article concludes with concrete legislative reform proposals.
References
Akramov, A. A. (2024a). Digital inheritance and its legal issues in Uzbekistan. Jurisprudence, 4(2), 67–75. https://dx.doi.org/10.51788/tsul.jurisprudence.4.2./MZAH8452
Akramov, A. A., Rakhmonkulova, N. Kh., Khazratkulov, O. T., Inamdjanova, E. E., Imamalieva, D. I., Tuychieva, Sh. R., Ibodullaev, S. B., Ergashev, A. E., Khamidov, Sh., & Rustamova, N. R. (2024). The impact of digitalization in inheritance law. Qubahan Academic Journal, 4(3), 100–134. https://doi.org/10.48161/qaj.v4n3a863
Anderson, R. (2023). Digital asset management in estate planning: A comprehensive guide. Harvard Law Review, 136(4), 1245–1289.
Bennett, S., & Chen, L. (2023). Blockchain technology and digital inheritance: Technical and legal perspectives. Journal of Law and Technology, 28(2), 167–198.
Beyer, G., & Cahn, N. (2020). Digital asset succession planning in the age of technology. Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal, 33(3), 157–194.
Beyer, G., & Kucharov, K. (2020). What happens to my Facebook account when I pass? Tulane Journal of Technology & Intellectual Property, 22(2), 61–91.
Carroll, E., & Romano, J. (2017). Your digital afterlife: When Facebook, Flickr and Twitter are your estate, what’s your legacy? Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 32(2), 1183–1248.
Carter, M. (2022). Cross-border digital asset succession: Challenges and solutions. International Journal of Law and Information Technology, 30(3), 298–324.
Darrow, J. J., & Ferrera, G. R. (2007). Who owns a decedent’s e-mails: Inheritable probate assets or property of the network? NYU Annual Survey of American Law, 63(2), 281–329.
Davidson, E., & Phillips, R. (2023). The evolution of digital property rights: Implications for inheritance law. Yale Law Journal, 132(5), 1078–1123.
Dukeminier, J., & Sitkoff, R. (2013). Wills, trusts, and estates (9th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Edwards, J., & Smith, T. (2023). Cryptocurrency inheritance: Technical challenges and legal solutions. Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 38(1), 1–42.
Edwards, L., & Harbinja, E. (2013). Protecting post-mortem privacy: Reconsidering the privacy interests of the deceased in a digital world. Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, 32(1), 83–129.
Edwards, L., & Harbinja, E. (2019). Protecting posthumous privacy: Reconsidering the privacy interests of the deceased in a digital world. Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, 37(3), 729–774.
Eshonkulov, J. (2025). The role of smart contracts in civil law and issues of legal regulation. Uzbek Journal of Law and Digital Policy, 3(1), 104–111. https://doi.org/10.59022/ujldp.294
Eshonkulov, J., & Umarov, D. (2025). Civil legal status of digital assets and their legal regulation. American Journal of Political Science and Leadership Studies. https://semantjournals.org/index.php/AJPSLS
Ewig, B. S. (2019). Digital assets & estate planning: Understanding problems, progress, and practical solutions. Arizona Summit Law Review, 12, 437–470.
Fairfield, J. A. (2005). Virtual property. Boston University Law Review, 85(4), 1047–1102.
García, A., & Wilson, P. (2023). Post-mortem privacy rights in the digital age. Stanford Law Review, 75(3), 789–834.
Henderson, K. (2022). Smart contracts and digital inheritance: Automated solutions for asset transfer. Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, 20(1), 45–76.
Hopkins, J. P. (2012). Afterlife in the cloud: Managing a digital estate. Hastings Science and Technology Law Journal, 5(1), 209–238.
Horton, D., & Lauritsen, M. (2020). Unlocking the digital cage: How New York State can modernize its estate laws for digital assets. Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology, 30(1), 1–51.
Hosking, A. (2022). Digital death: Principles and practice. Laws, 11(1), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11010001
Johnson, L., & Brown, R. (2023). Platform terms of service and digital asset inheritance. Michigan Technology Law Review, 29(2), 234–267.
Kim, S., & Lee, J. (2023). Digital asset regulation in Asia: A comparative study. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 10(1), 78–103.
Kimpton, M. (2021). Managing privacy for the digital estates of decedents. Utah Law Review, 2021(3), 571–604.
Luu, B. N. (2016). Designing the ideal digital asset succession law. Ohio State Law Journal, 77(2), 269–290.
Makarov, I., & Schoar, A. (2022). Blockchain analysis of cryptoasset inheritance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(7), e2103619119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2103619119
Miller, D., & Taylor, S. (2023). Digital executors: Legal status and practical challenges. Duke Law and Technology Review, 21(1), 45–82.
Naumov, V., Groshev, A., & Ingovatova, A. (2022). Inheritance of digital assets under Russian law. BRICS Law Journal, 9(3), 128–153.
Patti, F. P., & Bartolini, F. (2019). Digital inheritance and post mortem data protection: The Italian reform. European Review of Private Law, 27(4), 643–668.
President of Republic of Uzbekistan. (2018). Resolution “On measures to develop the digital economy” (No. RP-3832). Lex.uz. https://lex.uz/docs/3806053
Probasco, J. (2018). Beware the unpredictability of digital assets at death. Probate and Property Magazine, 32(2), 56–59.
Republic of Uzbekistan. (2024, January 19). Law “On amendments to the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, and Code of Administrative Liability” (No. LRU-899). Lex.uz.
Walker, L. A., & Fowler, S. M. (2019). Preparing your digital estate plan. The Elder Law Journal, 27(1), 41–81.
White, R. (2022). International harmonization of digital asset inheritance laws. International Journal of Law and Information Technology, 30(2), 156–189.
Wright, A. (2019). Blockchain and inheritance: The good, the bad, and the uncertain. Cardozo Legal Studies Research Paper.
Young, S., & Davis, M. (2023). Cryptocurrency estate planning: Technical implementation and legal compliance. Journal of Digital Asset Law, 4(1), 23–56.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 JURISPRUDENCE
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
