15 U.S.C. § 7021 — Transferable records

Page 2309 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 7021 on electronic commerce by that provision; whether the benefits outweigh the burdens; whether the absence of the procedure required by section 7001(c)(1)(C)(ii) of this title would in- crease the incidence of fraud directed against consumers; and suggesting any revisions to the provision deemed appropriate by the Secretary and the Commission. In conducting this evalua- tion, the Secretary and the Commission shall solicit comment from the general public, con- sumer representatives, and electronic commerce businesses. (Pub. L. 106–229, title I, § 105, June 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 471.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 1, 2000, with exceptions relating to record retention and certain loans, see section 107 of Pub. L. 106–229, set out as a note under section 7001 of this title. § 7006. Definitions For purposes of this subchapter: (1) Consumer The term ‘‘consumer’’ means an individual who obtains, through a transaction, products or services which are used primarily for per- sonal, family, or household purposes, and also means the legal representative of such an indi- vidual. (2) Electronic The term ‘‘electronic’’ means relating to technology having electrical, digital, mag- netic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities. (3) Electronic agent The term ‘‘electronic agent’’ means a com- puter program or an electronic or other auto- mated means used independently to initiate an action or respond to electronic records or performances in whole or in part without re- view or action by an individual at the time of the action or response. (4) Electronic record The term ‘‘electronic record’’ means a con- tract or other record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by elec- tronic means. (5) Electronic signature The term ‘‘electronic signature’’ means an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a per- son with the intent to sign the record. (6) Federal regulatory agency The term ‘‘Federal regulatory agency’’ means an agency, as that term is defined in section 552(f) of title 5. (7) Information The term ‘‘information’’ means data, text, images, sounds, codes, computer programs, software, databases, or the like. (8) Person The term ‘‘person’’ means an individual, cor- poration, business trust, estate, trust, partner- ship, limited liability company, association, joint venture, governmental agency, public corporation, or any other legal or commercial entity. (9) Record The term ‘‘record’’ means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. (10) Requirement The term ‘‘requirement’’ includes a prohibi- tion. (11) Self-regulatory organization The term ‘‘self-regulatory organization’’ means an organization or entity that is not a Federal regulatory agency or a State, but that is under the supervision of a Federal regu- latory agency and is authorized under Federal law to adopt and administer rules applicable to its members that are enforced by such orga- nization or entity, by a Federal regulatory agency, or by another self-regulatory organi- zation. (12) State The term ‘‘State’’ includes the District of Columbia and the territories and possessions of the United States. (13) Transaction The term ‘‘transaction’’ means an action or set of actions relating to the conduct of busi- ness, consumer, or commercial affairs between two or more persons, including any of the fol- lowing types of conduct— (A) the sale, lease, exchange, licensing, or other disposition of (i) personal property, in- cluding goods and intangibles, (ii) services, and (iii) any combination thereof; and (B) the sale, lease, exchange, or other dis- position of any interest in real property, or any combination thereof. (Pub. L. 106–229, title I, § 106, June 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 472.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 1, 2000, with exceptions relating to record retention and certain loans, see section 107 of Pub. L. 106–229, set out as a note under section 7001 of this title. SUBCHAPTER II—TRANSFERABLE RECORDS § 7021. Transferable records (a) Definitions For purposes of this section: (1) Transferable record The term ‘‘transferable record’’ means an electronic record that— (A) would be a note under Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code if the electronic record were in writing; (B) the issuer of the electronic record ex- pressly has agreed is a transferable record; and (C) relates to a loan secured by real prop- erty. Page 2310 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 7031 A transferable record may be executed using an electronic signature. (2) Other definitions The terms ‘‘electronic record’’, ‘‘electronic signature’’, and ‘‘person’’ have the same mean- ings provided in section 7006 of this title. (b) Control A person has control of a transferable record if a system employed for evidencing the transfer of interests in the transferable record reliably es- tablishes that person as the person to which the transferable record was issued or transferred. (c) Conditions A system satisfies subsection (b), and a person is deemed to have control of a transferable record, if the transferable record is created, stored, and assigned in such a manner that— (1) a single authoritative copy of the trans- ferable record exists which is unique, identifi- able, and, except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), unalterable; (2) the authoritative copy identifies the per- son asserting control as— (A) the person to which the transferable record was issued; or (B) if the authoritative copy indicates that the transferable record has been transferred, the person to which the transferable record was most recently transferred; (3) the authoritative copy is communicated to and maintained by the person asserting control or its designated custodian; (4) copies or revisions that add or change an identified assignee of the authoritative copy can be made only with the consent of the per- son asserting control; (5) each copy of the authoritative copy and any copy of a copy is readily identifiable as a copy that is not the authoritative copy; and (6) any revision of the authoritative copy is readily identifiable as authorized or unauthor- ized. (d) Status as holder Except as otherwise agreed, a person having control of a transferable record is the holder, as defined in section 1–201(20) of the Uniform Com- mercial Code, of the transferable record and has the same rights and defenses as a holder of an equivalent record or writing under the Uniform Commercial Code, including, if the applicable statutory requirements under section 3–302(a), 9–308, or revised section 9–330 of the Uniform Commercial Code are satisfied, the rights and defenses of a holder in due course or a pur- chaser, respectively. Delivery, possession, and endorsement are not required to obtain or exer- cise any of the rights under this subsection. (e) Obligor rights Except as otherwise agreed, an obligor under a transferable record has the same rights and de- fenses as an equivalent obligor under equivalent records or writings under the Uniform Commer- cial Code. (f) Proof of control If requested by a person against which en- forcement is sought, the person seeking to en- force the transferable record shall provide rea- sonable proof that the person is in control of the transferable record. Proof may include access to the authoritative copy of the transferable record and related business records sufficient to review the terms of the transferable record and to es- tablish the identity of the person having control of the transferable record. (g) UCC references For purposes of this subsection, all references to the Uniform Commercial Code are to the Uni- form Commercial Code as in effect in the juris- diction the law of which governs the transfer- able record. (Pub. L. 106–229, title II, § 201, June 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 473.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Pub. L. 106–229, title II, § 202, June 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 475, provided that: ‘‘This title [enacting this sub- chapter] shall be effective 90 days after the date of en- actment of this Act [June 30, 2000].’’ SUBCHAPTER III—PROMOTION OF INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC COMMERCE § 7031. Principles governing the use of electronic signatures in international transactions (a) Promotion of electronic signatures (1) Required actions The Secretary of Commerce shall promote the acceptance and use, on an international basis, of electronic signatures in accordance with the principles specified in paragraph (2) and in a manner consistent with section 7001 of this title. The Secretary of Commerce shall take all actions necessary in a manner con- sistent with such principles to eliminate or re- duce, to the maximum extent possible, the im- pediments to commerce in electronic signa- tures, for the purpose of facilitating the devel- opment of interstate and foreign commerce. (2) Principles The principles specified in this paragraph are the following: (A) Remove paper-based obstacles to elec- tronic transactions by adopting relevant principles from the Model Law on Electronic Commerce adopted in 1996 by the United Na- tions Commission on International Trade Law. (B) Permit parties to a transaction to de- termine the appropriate authentication technologies and implementation models for their transactions, with assurance that those technologies and implementation mod- els will be recognized and enforced. (C) Permit parties to a transaction to have the opportunity to prove in court or other proceedings that their authentication ap- proaches and their transactions are valid. (D) Take a nondiscriminatory approach to electronic signatures and authentication methods from other jurisdictions. (b) Consultation In conducting the activities required by this section, the Secretary shall consult with users