[python-committers] [PSF-Board] echosign

[M.-A. Lemburg]

On 04.03.2013 16:24, R. David Murray wrote:
> I applaud the foundation for getting an electronic signature method in
> place.
> 
> However, I have to say that to my mind echosign is nothing more than
> "authentication theater", and I wonder if it is going to make us look
> more than a bit clueless to the tech community.  I'm surprised that
> a lawyer would consider a "signature" generated from typed text to be
> useful for anything.  If you are are going to accept the typed signature,
> just accept the typed signature.
> 
> I was asked to sign a legal document I cared about that way once and I refused.
> 
> At least there's a way to upload a real signature.

The old paper-trail version is still available, if the new form
doesn't work out for you.

Whether any version of a signature, other than the wet-signed paper
version sent by postal mail actually proves that a agreement was
entered, depends a lot on the jurisdictions on both sides of the
agreement, e.g.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_signature#Enforceability_of_electronic_signatures

In our particular case, there's usually a rather long story leading
up to someone signing a contrib form, so I don't think we'd ever
run into a situation where the above would not be enough to prove
the (final) intention of entering an agreement in court. A simple
checkbox "I agree" would like be enough and the little extra
sugar makes it look smarter :-)

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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