Digital signatures and law

Worldwide, legislation concerning the effect and validity of digital signatures includes:

Argentina

• Ley Nº 25.506 (B.O. 14/12/2001).
• Decreto Nº 2628/02 (B.O. 20/12/2002).
• Decreto N° 724/06 (B.O. 13/06/06).

Bermuda

• Electronic Transactions Act 1999
• Certification Service Providers (Relevant Criteria and Security Guidelines) Regulations 2002

Brazil

• Medida provisória 2.200-2 (Portuguese) - Brazilian law states that any digital document is valid for the law if it is certified by ICP-Brasil (the official Brazilian PKI) or if it is certified by other PKI and the concerned parties agree as to the validity of the document.

Canada

• PIPEDA - Canadian law distinguishes between the generic "electronic signature" and the "secure electronic signature". Federal secure electronic signature regulations make it clear that a secure electronic signature is a digital signature created and verified in a specific manner. Canada's Evidence Act contains evidentiary presumptions about both the integrity and validity of electronic documents with attached secure electronic signatures, and of the authenticity of the secure electronic signatures themselves.

China

• Electronic Signature Law of the People's Republic of China (Chinese) - The stated purposes include standardizing the conduct of electronic signatures, confirming the legal validity of electronic signatures and safeguarding the legal interests of parties involved in such matters.

European Union and the European Economic Area

• European Union Directive establishing the framework for electronic signatures:
  • Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 on a Community framework for electronic signatures.
  • Commission Decision 2003/511/EC adopting three CEN Workshop Agreements as technical standards presumed to be in accordance with the Directive
• Implementing laws: Several countries have already implemented the Directive 1999/93/EC.
  • Austria
    • Signature Law, 2000
  • Belgium
    • Signature Law, 2001
  • Czech Republic
    • Act on Electronic Signatures, 227/2000
  • Denmark
    • Lov om elektroniske signaturer
  • England, Scotland and Wales
    • Electronic Communications Act, 2000
    • The Electronic Signatures Regulations 2002
  • Estonia
    • Digital Signature Law, 2000 (in Estonian).
    • Digital Signatures Act (consolidated text Dec 2003)
  • Finland
    • Laki sähköisistä allekirjoituksista, 2003 (in Finnish)
  • Germany
    • German Signature Law of 2001, changed in 2005
  • Greece
    • Presidential Decree 150/2001 (in Greek)
  • Hungary
    • Hungarian Act on Electronic Signatures 2001
  • Ireland, Republic of
    • Irish Electronic Commerce Act, 2000
  • Italy
    • Decreto legislativo 7/3/2005, n. 82 (Codice dell'Amministrazione Digitale)
  • Lithuania
    • Law on electronic signature, 2002
  • Luxembourg
    • Loi du 14 août 2000 relative au commerce électronique, 2000 (in French)
  • Malta
    • Maltese Electronic Commerce Act 2001, last amended 2005
  • Norway
    • Electronic Signature Act, 2001 (in Norwegian).
  • Romania
    • Legea semnăturii electronice, 455/2001 (Romanian)
    • Law on the Electronic Signature, 455/2001 (unofficial translation) (English)
  • Slovakia
    • Act no.215/2002 on electronic signature (in Slovak)
  • Slovenia
    • Electronic Business and Electronic Signature Act (in Slovene) .
  • Spain
    • Ley 59/2003 , de 19 de diciembre, de firma electrónica (in Spanish).
  • Sweden
    • Qualified Electronic Signatures Act (SFS 2000:832) (in Swedish).
    • SFS 2000:832 in English translation

Ghana

• The Electronic Transactions Act of Ghana, Act 772 of 2008

Guatemala

• Decreto #47-2008: Ley para el Reconocimiento de las Comunicaciones y Firmas Electrónicas (in Spanish)

India

• Information Technology Act, 2000

Japan

• Law Concerning Electronic Signatures and Certification Services, 2000 (in Japanese)
• Law Concerning Electronic Signatures and Certification Services, 2000 (unofficial English translation)

Malaysia

• Digital Signature Act (Act 562), 1997 (in Bahasa Malaysia).
• Digital Signature Act (Act 562), 1997 (in English).
• Digital Signature Regulations (P.U.(A) 359), 1998 (in Bahasa Malaysia).
• Digital Signature Regulations (P.U.(A) 359), 1998 (in English).

Moldova

• Lege cu privire la documentul electronic şi semnătura digitală, July 15, 2004 (in Romanian)
• Law about Electronic Document and Digital Signature (in Russian)

New Zealand

• Electronic Transactions Act 2002, sections 22-24

For an overview of the New Zealand law refer: - The Laws of New Zealand, Electronic Transactions, paras 16-18; or - Commercial Law, paras 8A.7.1-8A.7.4. (these sources are available on the LexisNexis subscription-only website)

Peru

• LEY No. 27269. Ley de Firmas y Certificados Digitales

Philippines

• Electronic Commerce Act of 2000

Russian Federation

Federal Law of Russian Federation about Electronic Digital Signature (10.01.2002)

South Africa

• Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002

Switzerland

• Federal Law on Certification Services Concerning the Electronic Signature, 2003

United Nations Commission on International Trade Law

• UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures (2001), a strong influence in the field.

United States

• Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA)
• Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-SIGN), at 15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq. The law permits the use of electronic signatures in many situations, and preempts many state laws that would otherwise limit the use of electronic signatures.

Uruguay

Uruguay laws include both, electronic and digital signatures:

• Concerning passwords or adequate information technology gestures
• Concerning electronic and digital signature and PKI

Turkey

Turkey has an Electronic Signature Law TBMM.gov.tr since 2004. This law is stated in European Union Directive 1999/93/EC. Turkey has a Government Certificate Authority - Kamu SM for all government agents for their internal use and three independent certificate authorities all of which are issuing qualified digital signatures.

• Kamu Sertifikasyon Merkezi (Governmental Certificate Authority) Kamusm.gov.tr (Turkish)
• E-Güven (owned by Turkish Informatics Foundation) E-guven.com (Turkish)
• Turktrust (owned by Turkish Military Force Solidarity Foundation) Turktrust.com (Turkish)
• E-Tugra E-tugra.com (Turkish)

Turkey had a recent triumph in digital signatures and become the forerunner of mobile signature, that is, qualified signatures that are created using mobile phones. The leading GSM operator of Turkey, Turkcell, had developed the business model of this service for consumers first in the world.

• Turkcell.com.tr

Legal cases

Court decisions discussing the effect and validity of digital signatures or digital signature-related legislation:

• In re Piranha, Inc., 2003 WL 21468504 (N.D. Tex) (UETA does not preclude a person from contesting that he executed, adopted, or authorized an electronic signature that is purportedly his).
• Cloud Corp. v. Hasbro, 314 F.3d 289 (7th Cir., 2002) EMLF.org (E-SIGN does not apply retroactively to contracts formed before it took effect in 2000. Nevertheless, the statute of frauds was satisfied by the text of E-mail plus an (apparently) written notation.)
• Sea-Land Service, Inc. v. Lozen International, 285 F.3d 808 (9th Cir., 2002) Admiraltylawguide.com (Internal corporate E-mail with signature block, forwarded to a third party by another employee, was admissible over hearsay objection as a party-admission, where the statement was apparently within the scope of the author's and forwarder's employment.)

Further reading

• eSignature Legal Wiki Online legal Wiki for eSignatures across the globe
• Digital signatures legislation across the world.

For books in English on electronic signatures, see:

• Stephen Mason, Electronic Signatures in Law (Tottel, second edition, 2007);
• Dennis Campbell, editor, E-Commerce and the Law of Digital Signatures (Oceana Publications, 2005);
• Lorna Brazell, Electronic Signatures Law and Regulation, (Sweet & Maxwell, 2004);
• M. H. M Schellenkens, Electronic Signatures Authentication Technology from a Legal Perspective, (TMC Asser Press, 2004).

For translations of electronic signature cases from Europe, Brazil, China and Colombia into English, see the Digital Evidence and Electronic Signature Law Review

References

• In re Piranha, Inc. WL 21468504 (N.D. Tex. 2003). Google Scholar.
• Cloud Corp. v. Hasbro, Inc. 314 F. 3d 289 (US: Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 2002). Google Scholar.