Signature

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For other uses, see Signature (disambiguation).

John Hancock's signature is the most prominent on the United States Declaration of Independence.

A signature (from Latin signare, "sign") is a handwritten (and sometimes stylized) depiction of someone's name (or some other identifying mark) that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and will. It acts as a seal. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Like a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying its creator.

1 Function and types of signatures
- 1.1 Mechanically produced signatures
2 Other uses
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Function and types of signatures

The traditional function of a signature is evidential: it is to give evidence of:

the provenance of the document (identity)
the intention (will) of an individual with regard to that document

For example, the role of a signature in many consumer contracts is not solely to provide evidence of the identity of the contracting party, but rather to additionally provide evidence of deliberation and informed consent. Signatures may be witnessed and recorded in the presence of a Notary Public to carry additional legal force. On legal documents, an illiterate signatory can make a "mark" (often an "X" but occasionally a personalized symbol), so long as the document is countersigned by a literate witness. There are many other terms which are synonymous with 'signature'. One is John Hancock, named after the first of the signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence. The signature of a famous person is sometimes known as an autograph, and is then typically written on its own or with a brief note to the recipient. Rather than providing authentication for a document, the autograph is given as a souvenir which acknowledges the recipient's access to the autographer.

Some states’ legal definition of a signature defines a signature to mean "any memorandum, mark, or sign made with intent to authenticate any instrument or writing, or the subscription of any person thereto." ^[1] In the context of one particular statute, a signature doesn’t have to be the popular notion of a written name, but may be other methods of authentication; the intent of any mark or memorandum makes a signature.

[edit] Mechanically produced signatures

Special signature machines, called autopens are capable of automatically reproducing an individual's signature. These are typically used by people required to sign many documents, for example celebrities, heads of state or CEOs.

Several cultures whose languages use writing systems other than alphabets do not share the Western notion of signatures per se: the "signing" of one's name results in a written product no different from the result of "writing" one's name in the standard way. For these languages, to write or to sign involves the same written characters. Three such examples are Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. In Asian culture, people typically use name-seals or inkan with the name written in tensho script (seal script) in lieu of a handwritten signature (also see Calligraphy).

In e-mail and newsgroup usage, another type of signature exists which is independent of one's language. Users can set one or more lines of custom text known as a signature block to be automatically appended to their messages. This text usually includes a name, contact information, and sometimes quotations and ASCII art. Some web sites also allow graphics to be used. Note, however, that this type of signature is not related to electronic signatures or digital signatures, which are more technical in nature and not directly readable by human eyes.

[edit] Other uses

A signature is that which gives an object or piece of information its identity. Examples: the voice of Elvis on one of his records; a signature on a contract or the shape of a classical Coca-Cola bottle.

By analogy, the word "signature" may be used to refer to the characteristic expression of a process or thing. For example, the climate phenomenon known as ENSO or El Niño has characteristic modes in different ocean basins which are often referred to as the "signature" of ENSO.