title: Electronic signatures - much ado?
abstract: Whilst the market may be having a crisis of confidence regarding the prospects for e-commerce, the EU and the Government continue apace to develop the legal framework. Most recently, this has resulted in the Electronic Signatures Regulations 2002. These Regulations were made on 13 February 2002 and came into force on 8 March 2002. The Regulations implement the European Electronic Signatures Directive (1999/93/EC). Critics may say that the Regulations were implemented too late (they were due to have been implemented by 19 July 2001), with too short a consultation period (25 January 2002 to 12 February 2002) and with an unconvincing case as to what they add to English law (as to which, read on). The author explains the latest development on e-signatures and the significance of Certification Service Providers (CSPs)
keyphrases: e-commerce legal framework Electronic Signatures Regulations 2002 European Electronic Signatures Directive