Press Release

GlobalSign Facilitates International Recognition of New Zealand’s Public Documents

Carbon footprint of legalization significantly reduced thanks to Certified Document Services

London, UK – 9 June, 2009 – GlobalSign Inc. (www.globalsign.co.uk), one of the longest established Certification Authorities (CA) and specialists in digital certificate lifecycle management, today announced a significant milestone in the worldwide expansion of fully electronic Apostille Services.  Electronic Apostille Services now present a fast, carbon footprint-friendly and highly efficient and secure alternative to the time consuming paper based system.  GlobalSign has enabled the Government of New Zealand to introduce Electronic Apostille Services, via Adobe Systems Incorporated’s Certified Document Services (CDS) program. 

The Apostille Convention (otherwise known as The Hague Convention 1961) facilitates the circulation of public documents among signatory States. An Apostille authenticates the signature of a Notary or approved public official.  Historically, it has been a separate paper certificate, sealed by the competent authority in the country of origin and affixed to the document requiring authentication.  The competent authority can vary from country to country but is commonly a department within the ministry of foreign or external affairs.  The Hague Conference, which is responsible for the operation of the Convention has, in conjunction with other stakeholders, been promoting the development and use of an electronic Apostille (e-Apostille http://www.e-app.info/ ) within Member States. 

Working closely with the Department of Internal Affairs’ Authentication Unit in New Zealand, GlobalSign were able to deliver a fully electronic document lifecycle management system based on the Certified Document Services (CDS) platform (CDS is a digital signing solution from Adobe that allows authors to create Adobe Reader PDF files that automatically certify to the recipient that the author's identity has been verified by a trusted organization).  The international language support in the free Adobe Reader for PDFs, together with the automatic authenticity and integrity checks of the embedded digital signature information within the certified PDF offered an ideal vehicle for the Authentication Unit to launch their services.

“This e-Apostille is the first of its kind to be issued in the Asia-Pacific region and represents a glimpse into a future where official documents can cross borders securely and seamlessly by email,” said Patrick Geddes, Manager of the Authentication Unit for the Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari Taiwhenua). 
“The interoperability of electronic signatures across jurisdictional boundaries and the need to support digital signatures in the long term is a critical issue. The acceptance of the PDF-based signature format (ETSI/ESI 102 778) in the EU and the increasing use of PDF based digital signatures by Governments around the world pave the way for greater eBusiness across all industries,” said Steve Roylance, Business Development Director for GlobalSign.

Representatives from the Authentication Unit in New Zealand will be highlighting the success of the project to a worldwide audience in London on June 13th during the 5th International Forum on the electronic Apostille Pilot Program (e-APP) and Digital Authentication hosted by the International Union of Notaries (UINL) and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).

For more information on GlobalSign PDF Signing solutions for Adobe CDS, please visit http://www.globalsign.ca/adobe-cds/index.htm

About GlobalSign
Established in 1996 and as a WebTrust accredited public certificate authority, GlobalSign offers publicly trusted SSL, including SSL Certificates, EV SSL, managed SSL services, S/MIME and Code Signing Certificates for use on all platforms including mobile devices. Its Trusted Root solution uses the widely embedded GlobalSign Root CA certificates to provide immediate PKI trust for Microsoft CA and enterprise CAs, eliminating the costs of using untrusted Root Certificates. Its partnership with Adobe to provide Certified Document Services (CDS) enables secure digitally signed PDF documents, certified transcripts and e-invoices.  These core Digital Certificate solutions allow its thousands of authenticated customers to conduct secure online transactions, data transfer, distribution of tamper-proof code, and protection of online identities for secure email and access control.  The company has a history of innovation within the online security industry and has offices in the US, UK, Belgium, Japan, and China. 

GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group, headquartered in Japan, is a leading force in the Internet industry offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of Internet services worldwide. The group holds top domestic market share in domain registration, web hosting, and payment processing and provides a host of other Internet services including global online security services, e-commerce solutions, and Internet advertising to both businesses and individuals. At the centre of the group is GMO Internet, Inc. a company listed on the prestigious first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE: 9449). Please visit www.gmo.jp/en for further details.

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