William Allen Simpson wrote: [snip]
The whole point of a notary is to bind a document to a person. That the person submitted two or more different documents at different times is readily observable. After all, the notary has the document(s)!
No, the notary does not have the documents *after* they are notarized, nor do they keep copies. Having been a notary I know this personally. When I stopped being a notary all I had to submit to the state was my seal and my record books.
If I had to testify about a document I would only be attesting that the person who presented themselves adequately proved, under the prudent businessman's standard, that they were the person that they said they were and that I saw them sign the document in question. That's it. No copies at all. What would anyone have to testify about if a legal battle arose after the notary either died or stopped being a notary?
Think for a minute about the burden on a notary if they had to have a copy of every document they notarized. What a juicy target they would make for thieves and industrial spies. No patent paperwork would be safe, no sales contract, no will, or other document. Just think how the safe and burglar alarm companies would thrive. Now ask yourself how much it costs to notarize a document. Would that pay for the copying and storage. I don't know what the current fees are in California but 20 years ago they were limited to $6.00 per person per document and an extra buck for each additional copy done at the same time. My average was about $14.00 per session. My insurance was $50/year. Nowhere near enough to cover my liability if I was to retain a copy of the document.
Best, Allen --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
