The goodwill institute in Russia: the civil law aspect

Relevance. At the present stage of business development in Russia, intangible assets that affect the legal status, cost, and competitive advantages of an enterprise have become of particular importance. When making transactions, the parties must take into account the positive reputation of the business, established connections, and brand awareness, but such legal relations are not properly regulated at the legislative level. Therefore, there is a practical need to introduce the "goodwill institute" into the legal field.

Purpose. The main purpose is to define the concept of "goodwill"

Objectives: highlight its main elements, and propose legislative consolidation of provisions on intangible assets of enterprises.

Methodology. The methods used in the research are desk review of relevant works, statistics, interpretation of legal norms, comparative analysis, induction, deduction.

Result. Based on the results of the study, the author's definition of "goodwill" was proposed. The following elements are highlighted in the goodwill composition: a positive reputation of the company; a location that attracts regular customers; a company name that is well-known, reputable and trustworthy; regular customers and strong ties with suppliers of goods and services; competitive goods and services in high demand, and qualified employees.

Conclusion. The necessity of supplementing Clause 2 of Article 132 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation with a legal provision stating that an enterprise as a property complex includes not only tangible assets, exclusive rights, commercial designation, trademarks, service marks, but also intangible assets such as reputation, clientele, business connections, location.

1. Rudenko M.V. Goodwill, image and reputation of an organization: a comparative analysis of concepts. Nauka Krasnoyar'ya = Science of the Red. 2023;12(2):116-126. (In Russ.)

2. Karpov V.N. The concept of business reputation and its place in the system of intangible assets. Alleya nauki = Alley of Science. 2022;(9):72. (In Russ.)

3. Dmitrieva O.V. The business reputation of an entrepreneur and the goodwill of a business: problems of determining the legal nature in scientific research of Russian civil scientists. Khozyaistvo i pravo = Economy and Law. 2021;(11):23-50. (In Russ.)

4. Kot M.K., Porfir'eva AB. The legal aspect of business reputation as one of the criteria for the financial stability of an organization. Mezhdunarodnyi zhurnal gumanitarnykh i estestvennykh nauk = International Journal of Humanities and Natural Sciences. 2021;(4-4):32-35. (In Russ.)

5. Silva R.L.M. On the IFRS discussion paper business combinations: disclosures, Goodwill and impairment. Revista de contabilidade do mestrado em ciências contábeis da UERJ. 2024;28(3):71-89.

6. Cole S.R. Business valuation: no agreement, no sale. CA Magazine. 1992;125(4):51.

7. Ivanova M.A., Tarasova A.G. Legal Goodwill: problems of understanding and regulation in modern Russian legislation. Mezhdunarodnyi zhurnal gumanitarnykh i estestvennykh nauk = International Journal of Humanities and Natural Sciences. 2024;(4-1):118-122. (In Russ.)

8. Gorodov O.A., Petrov A.V., Shmigel'skaya N.A. Unfair competition. Moscow: Yustitsinform; 2020. 326 p. (In Russ.)

9. Chernetsov N.D. Compensation for damage to business reputation: problems and prospects. Voprosy rossiiskoi yustitsii = Issues of Russian justice. 2021;(14):385-395. (In Russ.)

10. Tleubergen T.N., Khanysheva A.V., Bazhan D.S. Business reputation assessment (Goodwill). In: Zhas zertteushі 2024: Khalyқaralyқ ғylymi-tәzhіribelіk konferentsiyasy materialdary = Young researcher 2024: materials of the International Scientific and practical conference. Shymkent; 2024. P. 224.

11. Khamgokov T.A. Business reputation of a legal entity as an object of civil law protection. In: Formirovanie i evolyutsiya novoi paradigmy innovatsionnoi nauki v usloviyakh sovremennogo obshchestva: sbornik statei Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii = Formation and evolution of a new paradigm of innovative science in modern society: collectionof articles of the International scientific and practical conference. Ufa: Aeterna; 2024. P. 130. (In Russ.)

12. D'Orey M., Carvalho C. Subsequent measurement of Goodwill: the influence of activity sectors and business digitalization. European Conference on Knowledge Management. 2024;25(1):199-207.

13. Ershova E.A. Goodwill of the business. Moscow: Statut; 2013. 223 p. (In Russ.)

14. Leake P.D. Goodwill: its nature and how to value it. Accountant. 1914;50(2041):81-90.

15. Todorova L. Goodwill: concept, features and accounting. Studia Universitatis Moldaviae. Seria: Ştiinţe economice și ale comunicării. 2024;(11):93-96. (In Russ.)

16. Turaeva F.R., Arzuov A.A. Audit of intangible assets: approaches, principles and features in the context of IFRS. Journal of marketing, business and management. 2025;3(11):51- 54. (In Russ.)

17. Sadriev I.N. The concept and legal features of the business reputation of legal entities in the Russian Federation. Mezhdunarodnyi zhurnal gumanitarnykh i estestvennykh nauk = International Journal of Humanities and Natural Sciences. 2022;(12-5):75-77. (In Russ.)

18. Lekarkina N.K. Goodwill: nature, structure, content. Otsenka investitsii = Evaluation of investments. 2016;(3). Available at: https://www.esm-invest.com/ru/goodwill-nature-structurecontent (accessed 28.05.2025). (In Russ.)