Can the use of information technology be a qualifying feature of offences against intellectual property?

Introduction. The present article is devoted to the issue of registration of the use of information technologies in committing offences against intellectual property. This issue is considered by the author in three aspects - the use of computer information in the committing offences; information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet; and the use of artificial intelligence technologies in committing offences. Methods. The methods of formal logic, system-structural analysis are applied in the research, the main attention is paid to the analysis of materials of judicial practice. Results. The author concludes that the use of information technology should lead to stricter liability in cases where it significantly simplifies crime committing, leads to an increased number of recipients of destructive information or illicit goods and substances, and has the potential to raise the number of offences committed. Based on the results of the research, the author formulates specific proposals to improve criminal legislation in the field of intellectual property. The author proposes to include in separate articles on offences against intellectual property the qualifying feature “an act committed with the use of information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet, or with the use of artificial intelligence systems”.