What makes an electronic signature legally binding

The ESIGN Act's definition of an electronic signature is deliberately broad: 'an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.' That last part, intent, is where the law focuses.

The three things a valid e-signature needs

• Intent: the signer meant to sign. Clicking 'I agree' or signing in a designated field establishes this.
• Attribution: the signature is connected to a specific person. Email address, IP address, and signing method all contribute.
• Integrity: the document hasn't changed since it was signed. A SHA-256 document hash, recorded before and after signing, proves this.

Why a typed name in an email isn't enough

A typed 'John Smith' at the bottom of an email technically qualifies as an electronic signature under ESIGN's broad definition. But if John Smith later disputes it, you have very little: no record of which document he signed, no proof it hasn't changed, no timestamp, no IP. Courts can and do accept typed email signatures, but they're much harder to defend.

What an audit trail proves

A proper audit trail records: who signed (email, name), when they signed (timestamp to the second), from where (IP address and city), on what device (user agent), and what exactly they signed (SHA-256 hash of the document at signing time). If the document is presented in court and the hash matches, it proves the document is identical to what was signed.

What InkRobin produces

Every InkRobin document generates a Certificate of Completion that includes the complete audit trail: per-signer events (viewed, signed), timestamps, IP addresses, and the document hash. The certificate is embedded in the final signed PDF as an exhibit. This is what ESIGN, UETA, and eIDAS compliance looks like in practice: a verifiable record, not a checkbox.