Electronic Signatures in Law

Using case law from multiple jurisdictions, Stephen Mason examines the nature and legal bearing of electronic signatures.

Stephen Mason (Author)

9781107012295, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 January 2012

408 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.4 cm, 0.76 kg

'One can understand why there has been a market for three editions of this comprehensive work.' John D. Gregory, Slaw (slaw.ca)

Electronic signatures are ubiquitous. Anyone sending an e-mail or using a credit card uses one. They can have a bearing on all areas of law, and no lawyer is immune from having to advise clients about their legal consequences. This third edition provides an exhaustive discussion of what constitutes an electronic signature, the forms an electronic signature can take and the issues relating to evidence, formation of contract and negligence in respect of electronic signatures. Case law from a wide range of common law and civil law jurisdictions is analysed to illustrate how judges have dealt with changes in technology in the past and how the law has adapted in response.

1. The signature
2. International initiatives
3. European Union Directive on electronic signatures
4. England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
5. International comparison of electronic signature laws
6. The forms of an electronic signature
7. The digital signature
8. Liability
9. Evidence
10. Data protection.

Subject Areas: E-commerce law [LNCB2], Civil procedure, litigation & dispute resolution [LNAC], Law [L]