Electronic Signatures in Law
Stephen Mason
4th edition
Free to read online and download now from OBserving Law in the SAS Humanities Digital Library
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Stephen Mason is a leading authority on electronic signatures and electronic evidence, having advised global corporations and governments on these topics. He is also the founder and editor of the international open source journal the Digital Evidence and Electronic Signature Law Review. Stephen is an Associate Research Fellow at the IALS and Visiting Lecturer at the School of Law, University of Tartu, Estonia.
This fourth edition of the well-established practitioner text sets out what constitutes an electronic signature; the form an electronic signature can take; and discusses the issues relating to evidence – illustrated by analysis of relevant case law and legislation from a wide range of common law and civil law jurisdictions.
Available now
ISBN 978-1-911507-04-8 (hardback edition) £60 - Order online
ISBN 978-1-911507-00-0 (paperback edition) £40 - Order online
ISBN 978-1-911507-02-4 (Kindle version) £20 - Order online
This book is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license
DOI 10.14296/117.9781911507017
Book Review
Hector L. MacQueen
Scottish Law Commission
University of Edinburgh Law School, Edinburgh, UK
Computer Law & Security Review
Volume 34, Issue 1, February 2018, Pages 186-187
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clsr.2017.12.006
- Stephen Mason joins Law Commission advisory group for their project on electronic signatures and the electronic execution of documents
- Law Commission Wills consultation draws on expertise from Stephen Mason
- Response to the Law Commission consultation on Making a Will from Stephen Mason and Nicholas Bohm
Electronic signatures are ubiquitous. Every person that uses e-mail, uses an electronic signature. Every person that uses a cash card, debit card or credit card uses a form of electronic signature. The fourth edition of this book provides an up-date on the European Union Regulation that repeals the EU Directive in electronic signatures, together with an up-date of the case law across the world. It provides a practical guide to understanding electronic signatures, setting out an analysis of what constitutes an electronic signature, the form an electronic signature can take, the forgery of electronic signatures, and issues relating to evidence, formation of contract and negligence.
The case law on electronic signatures covers a vast range of law, including: employment, family, divorce proceedings, formation of contracts, insurance, e-wills, public administration, judicial use, Statute of Frauds, property transactions, local government planning, criminal procedure, and corporations.
The text includes case law from 38 jurisdictions: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England & Wales, Estonia, European Patent Office, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States of America and Zimbabwe.
Contents
- The signature
- International initiatives
- The practical issues in using electronic signatures in different jurisdictions
- The European Union
- England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland
- Introduction to the main forms of electronic signature
- Electronic sound
- The ‘click wrap’ and ‘browse wrap’ methods of indicating intent
- A Personal Identification Number
- Typing a name in an electronic document
- The name in an e-mail address
- A manuscript signature that has been scanned
- Biodynamic version of a manuscript signature
- Digital signatures
- Liability and digital signatures
- Evidence and digital signatures
- Data protection
Fourth edition published by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies for the
SAS Humanities Digital Library, School of Advanced Study, University of London,
2016