Emoji as Legally Binding Contracts: Court Rulings and Fines

A Canadian court has ruled that a thumbs-up emoji can be considered an official agreement to enter a contract. The decision came from a dispute between a farmer and a grain buyer, where the farmer responded to a contract with a thumbs-up emoji. The court determined that the emoji served as a valid way to convey acceptance of the contract, meeting the requirements of the Sale of Goods Act. This ruling sets a new standard for the linguistic role of emojis in official communications, although it may open the door for debates on the meaning of other emojis in future cases.