07/09/2023

Canadian Court Rules Thumbs-up Emoji Counts as a Contract Agreement

The ruling pointed to what a judge called the 'new reality'

Be careful before you casually dash off another thumbs-up emoji: A Canadian court has found that the ubiquitous symbol can affirm that a person is officially entering into a contract.

The ruling pointed to what a judge called the "new reality in Canadian society" that courts would have to confront as more people express themselves with hearts, smiley faces and fire emojis'— even in serious business dealings or personal disputes.

The case questioned whether a farmer in Saskatchewan had agreed to sell 87 metric tons of flax to a grain buyer in 2021. The buyer had signed the contract and texted a photo of it to the farmer, who had responded by texting back a "thumbs-up" emoji.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The New York Times.