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Encyclopedia > Signature

For the use of signatures in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Signatures and Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages
John Hancock's signature is the most prominent on the United States Declaration of Independence.
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, nickname or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Like a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying its creator. A signature is a hand-written, stylized version of someones name. ... Image File history File links JohnHancockSignature. ... Image File history File links JohnHancockSignature. ... For other persons named John Hancock, see John Hancock (disambiguation). ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies were independent of Great Britain. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Look up sign in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The establishment of a fact by evidence constitutes legal proof. ... Identity is an umbrella term used throughout the social sciences for an individuals comprehension of him or herself as a discrete, separate entity. ...

Contents

Function and types of signatures

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

  1. the provenance of the document (identity)
  2. 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. An agents intention in performing an action is their specific purpose in doing so, the end or goal they aim at, or intend to accomplish. ...


In many countries, 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'. In the United States, one is John Hancock, named after the first of the signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence. A US Embossed Notary Seal. ... This article is about the ability to read and write. ... Literacy is the ability to use text to communicate across space and time. ... For other persons named John Hancock, see John Hancock (disambiguation). ... The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies were independent of Great Britain. ...


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. The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Authentication (from Greek αυθεντικός; real or genuine, from authentes; author) is the act of establishing or confirming something (or someone) as authentic, that is, that claims made by or about the thing are true. ...


In the United States, some stateslegal 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. The term state may refer to: a sovereign political entity, see state unitary state nation state a non-sovereign political entity, see state (non-sovereign). ... This article is about law in society. ... A memorandum or memo is a written form of communication most often employed in business environments. ... Intent in law is the planning and desire to perform an act. ... This page deals with authentication in computing. ... Legal instrument is a legal term of art that is used for any written legal document such as a certificate, a deed, a will, an Act of Parliament or a law passed by a competent legislative body in municipal (domestic) or international law. ... The Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ...


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. US Government employees operate a check-signing machine. ... For other uses, see Celebrity (disambiguation). ... Head of state or Chief of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state. ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ...


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). This article is about the authentication means. ... An inkan (印鑑) or hanko (判子) is a name seal customarily used in Japan instead of a signature when doing business or other procedures. ... Contemporary Calligraphy Calligraphy (from Greek kallos beauty + graphẽ writing) is the art of beautiful writing (Mediavilla 1996: 17). ...


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. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users at different locations. ... A signature block (often abbreviated as signature, sig block, sig file, or just sig) is a block of text automatically appended at the bottom of an e-mail message, Usenet article, or forum post. ... ASCII art, an artistic medium relying primarily on computers for presentation, consists of pictures pieced together from characters (preferably from the 95 printable characters defined by ASCII). ... The term electronic signature has several meanings. ... In cryptography, a digital signature or digital signature scheme is a type of asymmetric cryptography used to simulate the security properties of a signature in digital, rather than written, form. ...


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. Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known as The King of Rock and Roll, or as just simply The King, was an American singer who had an immeasurable effect on world culture. ... The wave shape (known as the dynamic ribbon device) present on all Coca-Cola cans throughout the world derives from the contour of the original Coca-Cola bottles. ...


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. Chart of ocean surface temperature anomaly [°C] during the last strong El Niño in December 1997 ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) is a global coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon. ...


Copyright

Under United States Copyright Law, signatures are not eligible for copyright, as they are "titles, names...mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering, or coloring".[2] United States copyright law governs the legally enforceable rights of creative and artistic works in the United States. ...


See also

Look up Signature in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Image File history File links Signature. ... Image File history File links Sound-icon. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Sound-icon. ... This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... In cryptography, a public key infrastructure (PKI) is an arrangement that binds public keys with respective user identities by means of a certificate authority (CA). ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... In demonology, a diabolical signature (from diabolus, the Latin for devil) is the signature of a devil, demon or similar spirit, usually in order to sign your soul away. ... According to Christian tradition on witchcraft the diabolical pact is a pact between a person and Satan or any other demon (or demons) in which the person offers (or sells) his/her soul in exchange for favours. ...

References


  Results from FactBites:
 
Signature Student Loan information for undergrads (0 words)
The Signature Student Loan is the most popular after-Stafford loan.
You must attend a community college or a four- or five-year college at least half time and be working toward your degree.
Because the Signature Student Loan is credit-based, you can apply on your own or with a cosigner.
FIPS 186 - (DSS), Digital Signature Standard (3753 words)
A digital signature is an electronic analogue of a written signature in that the digital signature can be used in proving to the recipient or a third party that the message was, in fact, signed by the originator.
The DSA is used by a signatory to generate a digital signature on data and by a verifier to verify the authenticity of the signature.
Digital signatures are used to detect unauthorized modifications to data and to authenticate the identity of the signatory.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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