First of all, an electronic contract is not an electronic version of a paper contract. Electronic contract refers to an agreement that takes data message as the carrier and stipulates the relationship of civil rights and obligations through communication.

According to the contract law and electronic signature law, electronic contracts have legal effect. However, not all electronic contracts have legal effect, and only electronic contracts that meet the legal requirements have legal effect.

Different signing methods of electronic contracts have different complexity and probative power of proof. The Electronic Signature Law stipulates that "a reliable electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature or seal". A reliable electronic signature needs to meet the conditions that the electronic signature data is exclusive to the signer, controlled by the signer and has not been tampered with since its generation, and the law requires the preservation of the electronic contract and its original form.

The electronic contract signed by oneself has low probative power, and it needs to prove the authenticity of the signature and that it has not been tampered with, so the proof is more complicated. Therefore, it is suggested to choose the third-party electronic contracting system such as "electronic contracting security platform". All electronic contracts signed on this platform are legal and valid. It uses electronic signature encryption technology, and once it is signed, it cannot be changed. After signing, it is stored in a secure cloud storage system, which solidifies the evidence and facilitates the proof in case of disputes. Moreover, because it is a third-party service provider, the evidence provided by it has strong probative power and is easy for judges to adopt.

Moreover, the subject said that the electronic signature can be copied, indicating that this is not an electronic contract that really meets the requirements of laws and regulations, but an electronic version of a paper contract. Whether such a contract is valid or not depends on whether it meets the requirements of contract validity. But the subject said, "The merchant only asked me to sign the letter of commitment, and the other two blank merchants copied it automatically." Such an "electronic signature" is out of the control of the signatory and is easy to be tampered with, so the contract will not take effect.