Legal Question in Technology Law in California
With so much being computerized my question is; If I buy an object and get a receipt, then I digitize the receipt and store it in my computer and some months/years later I need to go to court and prove that I bought that object from Joe Dokes. If I recall the receipt and print it and present it to the court is it legally the same as the original?
1 Answer from Attorneys
If the digital copy is the only evidence, a court may accept it. But, the "best evidence" rule mandates that you must present the original if it exists. This makes sense because, as everyone knows, you can "doctor" an original of anything, and then copy it so it looks un-doctored, then if you scan it, it looks real. I, who am not particularly computer savvy, can put anyone's signature on any document, and I can change the purchase price from $5 to $500 (as an officer of the court, I would never do that, but I know how). Judge Judy might be fooled, but no judge who has even half a wit about him will take a digital copy as fact without some authentication.
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