A Canadian farmer in the province of Saskatchewan is liable to pay thousands for undelivered flax thanks to a “thumbs-up” emoji he apparently didn’t realize had legal impact—and he isn’t the first person to experience such repercussions in North America.

On June 8, a judge presiding over the case South West Terminal Ltd. v. Achter Land & Cattle in the court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan ruled that a buyer who sent a contract to a seller and received a thumbs up emoji over text in response is right to think that the emoji was as legally binding as a signature.

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