Part 2 - Handwriting
As antiquated as handwriting and handwritten signatures may have become in everyday life and at work, they are unrivalled in prominent positions: When international treaties and presidential decrees are countersigned under the glare of the press, the golden fountain pen is drawn out in a media-effective staging, and the result is proudly presented to the public. The proof is in black and white. It comes as no surprise that autographs are more readily available on eBay than selfies with celebrities.
Individual documents are considered more personal if they are signed with a Montblanc. No matter by whom: a German company produces automatic signature machines that guide fountain pens with a robotic hand and thus put very personal signatures on paper – from customers who do not actually have time to sign by hand or who shy away from the effort of handwriting on precious, handmade paper. The machine is able to imitate personal signatures perfectly, even with minimal nuances, as no two personal signatures are exactly alike.
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Illegible prescriptions
However, this method always proves difficult when the signed document comes into the crosshairs of legal disputes. It is then necessary to clarify who really pressed the start button and whether the owner of the coloured handwriting actually knew that his signature was being used to smuggle money past the tax office under tax returns. Such works of art are not legally valid per se within the meaning of Section 126 of the German Civil Code (BGB), such as qualified electronic signatures or classic handwriting.
Handwritten doctor’s prescriptions are also legally valid signatures. This can be quite original in terms of the typeface, but sometimes has drastic consequences. According to a 2006 study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, 7,000 patients die every year in the USA as a result of illegible prescriptions. And incorrect prescriptions are expensive: the Swiss health insurance umbrella organisation santésuisse has calculated that illegible doctor’s orders and prescriptions cost the Swiss healthcare system at least 100 million Swiss francs every year.
