Online agreement website

[kabatak]

Hello, I was wondering is there a website somewhere where in two parties who cannot personally meet can have an online agreement where they can put all the terms they want and both "digitally sign" that agreement? If such website exist, would that agreement/contract become a valid legal document?

[dreamscape]

Hello, I was wondering is there a website somewhere where in two parties who cannot personally meet can have an online agreement where they can put all the terms they want and both "digitally sign" that agreement?

VeriSign supposedly offers this kind of service, or so I've heard, but I've never been able to locate any information about it on their site.

www.sertifi.com offers this kind of service, and there are a few others too, but I forget what they are called.

If such website exist, would that agreement/contract become a valid legal document?

Yes digital signatures are as legally valid as hand written ones. Federal law mandates that they are (except in a few cases where hand written is required), as long as you follow the rules. For example you must give the option for the other person to also sign by hand, which www.sertifi.com does (either party can sign by hand and fax it into the system).

[bigduke]

OMG ... I had thought of this system about a year back .... can't believe companies are doing it already ... this is hella cool

[kabatak]

dreamscape: thanks for the info.
bigduke: me too, I was actually planing to make my own if none exist but yet looks like there's already.

[pdxi]

I don't know if this is entirely necessary. I fax contracts all the time, to clients that I have never met in person.

If faxing is infeasible because of long distance telephone charges, it's still possible to print a contract, sign it, scan it, and email a PDF of the document.