Emojis are becoming more and more predominant in the world, especially among teenagers. But who would have thought that they would be used someday in order to give an agreement for a contract? Although the title of this article surely sounds like a joke, it’s actually true!
In a groundbreaking ruling, a Canadian judge has established that the thumbs-up emoji holds the same legal weight as a signature, according to The Guardian. The decision was made in a case where a farmer was ordered to pay a significant amount of money for failing to fulfill a contract.
The Court of King’s Bench in Saskatchewan heard that the farmer had responded to a text message by using a thumbs-up emoji. What’s even more surprising is that the grain buyer interpreted the emoji as an agreement to the contract terms.
Chris Achter, the farmer who responded through a thumb-up emoji, explained, as The Guardian quotes:
I deny that he accepted the thumbs-up emoji as a digital signature of the incomplete contract,
I did not have time to review the Flax Contract and merely wanted to indicate that I did receive his text message.
However, as you’ve probably already guessed, the farmer argued that the emoji only indicated receipt of the contract. Justice Timothy Keene, the judge, admitted the need for courts to adapt to the changing methods of communication and embraced the prevailing use of emojis.
Despite concerns raised about the potential for varying interpretations of other emojis, Keene emphasized the importance of keeping pace with technology and common usage.
Not everybody will become fans of the new ruling, that’s for sure. But surprisingly or not, it marks an important step forward in recognizing emojis as valid forms of expression and communication in legal proceedings.
