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<section article="gcl" article_name="Commercial Law" number="21-118.1" title_number="21" title_name="The Maryland Uniform Electronic Transactions Act" subtitle_number="1">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Electronic postmark certificate” means evidentiary proof, provided to the sender or recipient of an electronic record, that the electronic record:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Was postmarked by a postal authority with a valid electronic postmark on the date and time indicated;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Was transmitted in a certain form on a specific date and time; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Was sent by the person indicated, to the person indicated, and on the date and time indicated.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Postal authority” means:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The United States Postal Service or other national public or private mail delivery service that provides electronic postmarks; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A public or private entity that has the regulatory authority or legal responsibility for providing electronic postmarks.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Subject to § 21-117 of this title, a requirement under a law other than this title to send, communicate, or transmit a record by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, or by regular mail is satisfied by an electronic record that:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Is addressed properly or otherwise directed properly to an information processing system that the recipient has designated;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>Enters an information processing system that is outside the control of the sender; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Enters a region of an information processing system that is under the control of the recipient;</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Is postmarked by a postal authority with an electronic postmark; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Is authenticated by an electronic postmark certificate.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>An electronic record is subject to the same legal protections as the United States mail if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The electronic record meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this section; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The postal authority that postmarked the electronic record under subsection (b)(3) of this section is the United States Postal Service.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>This section does not authorize the use of an electronic postmark or electronic postmark certificate for the service of a summons, complaint, or other papers for the purpose of obtaining jurisdiction over a defendant in a lawsuit.</text>
  </level>
</section>
