The legal principles of the dematerialisation of documents have been laid down by various texts on an international, European and national basis.  By comparing the current legal framework with what is applied in practice, we note that even though the conditions of use of electronic documents are defined by the law, their methods of storage are tougher to implement.

At this stage, it is necessary to define different types of storage, depending on the final goals:

• For information management (proprietary but not legal value)
• As proof and validity of a legal act or fact (legal value)
• As a means of administrative control ex. Tax authorities or Urssaf (legal value)

In legal terms, the storage of electronic documents or legal acts (such as contracts etc) is effected in order to maintain the perpetuity of the information contained in these documents, with the possibility of restoring them intact, ie. in a version identical to its original version.  Besides, the operation, the aim of which is to maintain the legal value of the data, concerns all legal actors without exception, whether they are physical, legal, private or public entities.  The question of storing electronic documents has therefore been subject to considerable debate, both among administrative organs and among companies.

With the rise of digital technology, the rows of paper documents stored in company or administration premises should soon make way for electronic storage systems.  Generally speaking, it is said that paper ensures the durability of the archive/document.  The electronic format is, on the other hand, a source of suspicion for companies (uncertainty about the integrity of the document and its future legibility).  This is no doubt why the market is awaiting precise rules regarding storage. 

The study of legal and regulatory texts relating to storage as well as the technical standards has helped to set up the guiding principles for the development and implementation of a storage system, even though a specific legal analysis will be required for each type of document (pay slips, contracts etc).  This is because each objective has its own legal specificities (duration of preservation, access to third parties…).  However, electronic storage is based on a common platform of legal requirements.

The red book offered by INFORCA MONACO fulfils the requirements of companies and their clients in terms of storage.  It was written by the law firm CAPRIOLI & Associés, which has developed considerable know-how for several years in this complex sector, using various techniques (GED, EDI, mail, electronic signatures).

We comment what we consider as the most significant principles from the legal and regulatory texts, as well as the fundamental notions of storage.  This analysis should help determine the factors of reliability that a storage system should respect.

Since 2000, INFORCA MONACO has brought to its users all its know-how in terms of data storage, back-up and security, as well as maintaining data archives.

Download .PDF (french only)

SOMMAIRE

I. LES OBLIGATIONS DE CONSERVATION / D’ARCHIVAGE DANS LES TEXTES

A. Preuve des actes juridiques
B. Validité de l’écrit sous forme électronique
C. Les factures électroniques signées
D. L’archivage des contrats conclus avec des consommateurs
E. Les conditions contractuelles en ligne
F. La passation de marché public en ligne

II. LES NOTIONS JURIDIQUES FONDAMENTALES

A. Les principales distinctions

1. Archivage/conservation
2. Actes/faits juridiques
3. Contrats sous forme électronique/ par voie électronique
4. Archivage droit public/droit privé

B. La nature du document archivé

1. L’écrit original
     a. Formalisme juridique
     b. Exigences fonctionnelles de l’écrit sous forme électronique
2. Copie d’un acte
     a. Fidélité de la copie
     b. Durabilité de la copie
3. Délais d’archivage

III. LA FIABILITE DU PROCESSUS D’ARCHIVAGE

A. La sécurité nécessaire du processus d’archivage
B. La traçabilité, caractéristique essentielle de l’archivage
C. L’auditabilité du processus, mise en place d’une politique d’archivage

IV. INFORMATIONS PRATIQUES ICONOGRAPHIE