cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1255003
A Canadian judge has ruled that the popular “thumbs-up” emoji not only can be used as a contract agreement, but is just as valid as an actual signature. The Saskatchewan-based judge made the ruling on the grounds that the courts must adapt to the “new reality” of how people communicate, as originally reported by The Guardian.
TLDR: Farmer agrees to sell some flax in the future at a fixed price, by responding “👍” to “please confirm flax contract”. Later, as the market price of flax went up, the farmer demands more money. They buyer then goes to court to force the farmer to sell the flax at the agreed price, judge rules that the “👍” does count as agreement.
This is a contract that was made several times previously, with similar informal agreements like “ok”, but this time the farmer tried to get out.