Electronic Signatures Cases – French Law

French law relating to electronic signatures makes a significant distinction between business to business (B2B) contracts and other transactions (e.g., business to consumer (B2C)). For a B2B contract, the contents of the contractual documents and the parties’ signatures can be evidenced electronically by any method.

For most other contracts and acts with legal consequences, the Civil Code lays down how written documents and signatures may be proved in court. The cases summarised in this whitepaper should be understood against this background.

This whitepaper looks at: 

• Support for electronic signatures in France: Overview of applicable case law

• Electronic transaction and signature cases

• Comparison: Informal electronic signature versus a signing platform