The law is called the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce
Act. It is described at
and the text is at
Maris
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hersch Nitikman" <hersch@silcom.com>
To: <filmscanners@halftone.co.uk>
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2001 2:18 AM
Subject: RE: filmscanners: Re: paperless office
| Interesting! Was it a Federal law? In what jurisdictions does it apply?
| Hersch
|
| At 06:00 PM 01/31/2001 -1000, you wrote:
| >A law was just passed here in the US that makes a digital signature (i.e.
| >email) good in court.
| >
| >Spencer Stone
| >
| >-----Original Message-----
| >From: owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
| >[mailto:owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of Gordon Tassi
| >Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 5:00 AM
| >To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
| >Subject: Re: filmscanners: Re: paperless office
| >
| >
| >Although we are getting closer to a paperless society, I think that the
| >biggest
| >impediment is based on our legal system. Though we could electronically
| >transmit
| >signed documents showing some type of commitment to do something, the
demand
| >of a
| >document that has a "fresh" signature is still the legal standard. The
fax
| >machine has been around for many years but a document with a real
signature
| >is
| >most often demanded and follows the fax in the mail.
| >
| >Paperless will not arrive until a) everyone has a computer, b) they are
| >willing to
| >acept a legal commitment via computer, c) the electronic security systems
| >can
| >absolutely assure that people cannot be tamper with the records of
falsify
| >them,
| >and d) the courts accept that an an electronic copy is absolute proof of
the
| >legal
| >commitment. We have a long way to go to get to that point. In the
| >meantime, we
| >will have to settle for trying to be a society with less paper.
| >
| >Gordon
| >
| >Arthur Entlich wrote:
| >
| > > Laurie Solomon wrote:
| > >
| > > > I would suggest (a) that your office is a rarity, (b) your office
| > > > technically is not a "paperless office" in that you still receive
| >invoices,
| > > > receipts, etc. from others that you need to scan in, and (c) most
other
| > > > places which are relying heavily on electronic operations still tend
to
| >keep
| > > > paper backup files and archives of their files and records just in
case
| >as
| > > > do their workers for their personal security and use.
| > >
| >
| >Arthur Entlich wrote
| >
| > > We have enculturated certain specific habits and styles of
functionality
| >over
| > > many hundreds of years which have involved the use of paper/hard copy
| >documents,
| > > books, etc.
| >
| > > Ironically, when we have computers that more mimic our relationship
with
| >paper,
| > > we will get closer to the "paperless" society.
| > >
| > > Art
|
|
|
