Are electronic documents legally binding?
In the past, the answer was often No, because many laws and agreements required a signed writing. Historically, a signature on a document served to record a transaction, and indicate the signers approval of the transaction, as well as the signers willingness to be legally bound by it. No physical signature, no signed writing, no legal effect. The Federal E-SIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce) Act, the Illinois Electronic Commerce Security Act (5 ILCS 175) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (adopted by Indiana as Indiana Code 26-2-8, also adopted by 21 other States in various forms) have changed the law, to allow many electronic documents to be legally binding. How do they work?
