Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA)


The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) specifically states that its purpose is to “remove barriers to electronic commerce by validating” electronic contracts.

  • adopted by 47 states
  • created by NCCUSL in 1999
  • covers business and commercial transactions
    • not private ones
  • purpose is to legitimize online contracts
  • states that electronic record satisfies any common law requirement that a contract be in writing
    • Statute of Frauds
  • states an electronic signature is equal to a handwritten signature
    • Under the UETA, an electronic signature is “an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with an electronic record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the electronic record.”
      • E.g., clicking an “i agree” button counts