The recent decision by a Canadian court that a “thumbs-up” emoji constituted acceptance of a contract is a cautionary tale on communications in the digital age.
The Court of King’s Bench in Saskatchewan ruled last month in a summary judgment that a farmer had to pay $82,000 for failing to deliver flax to a grain buyer after giving a thumbs-up to a texted photo of an agreed-upon contract with the message: “Please confirm flax contract.”
