Is a typed signature acceptable?

[Fluffernutter]

I sent out my T&Cs to a customer and he emailed them back signed, but the signature is his name typed rather than hand written. Is this ok or does it need to be signed by hand, either digitally or on the actual paper? Thanks.

 

[WaveJumper]

Have a read here:

What are Typed Signatures and are They Legal? | Lightico

Even though typed signatures have helped in speeding up and improving businesses for about 20 years now, not many people understand them.

www.lightico.com

 

[Stephen Ball]

It may just come down to the "proof" of the validity if whatever contract is ever disputed.

If the contract is between yourselves, it'll come down to whether you want to accept it I guess? However if, for whatever reason, they were to argue that the contract was not signed by him/her, it might be hard for you to prove otherwise - and do you want the hassle of this?

There are many electronic signature software packages available now that help eliminate any doubt of the legitimacy of an electronic signature with certificates, email confirmations (so similar to two-step authentication) etc.

Although many refer to 'DocuSign' as the process, this is somewhat the 'Hoover' of digital signature platforms. There are loads available like RightSignature, PandaDoc, Signable, Yoti...that are (from what we find) a LOT cheaper!

 

[Mark T Jones]

Did they come by postbox email - if its email from their personal account, it should be sufficient proof that they have seen and accepted them

 

[eteb3]

Have a read here:

That’s a US site and US business law is largely civil law - formalities are important.

In English law, business law is largely common law (with plenty of statute, too).

As far as enforcement is concerned, all you have to prove is that they accepted the contract - there’s no specific requirement as to how you do that. Acceptance can be by conduct alone, eg you send your terms and they place an order. So I humbly agree with Mark T Jones that an email alone (I’d say even without signature) is enough.

There are ways to force the issue if it’s unclear, though.
Eg, you could say you’ll proceed only with a PO, which you request in the email that sends your terms. If they issue a PO, that’s proof they’ve seen them. It’s also conventionally a sign that someone senior has authorised the agreement.