Legal Definitions - fax

A "fax" (short for facsimile) refers to a technology that allows for the transmission of an exact copy of a document over standard telephone lines. It can also refer to the machine used for this purpose, or the document that is sent or received through this method. Essentially, it creates a duplicate image of a paper document and sends it electronically to another fax machine, which then prints out an identical copy.

• Example 1: A small business owner needed to quickly send a signed contract to a vendor located in another state to secure a deal before the end of the business day. Instead of scanning and emailing, which might require additional steps for verification, she used a fax machine to transmit the physically signed contract directly to the vendor's office.
  • Explanation: This illustrates "fax" as the method of transmitting an exact, signed copy of a document and also refers to the document itself (the faxed contract) that was sent to meet a critical deadline.
• Example 2: An administrative assistant in a government agency was tasked with sending out a series of official notices. While most communication is now digital, some recipients, particularly those in rural areas or with older systems, still requested to receive these notices via fax. The assistant therefore had to use the office's dedicated fax machine.
  • Explanation: Here, "fax machine" refers to the device used to send and receive documents, highlighting its continued role in specific communication scenarios where digital alternatives might not be universally accessible or preferred.
• Example 3: A doctor's office was waiting for urgent lab results for a patient. The laboratory called to confirm that the results had just been "faxed" to their office. The receptionist immediately went to the machine to retrieve the physical printout of the detailed report.
  • Explanation: In this context, "faxed" refers to the communication sent (the lab results) that arrived as an exact copy via the fax transmission process, requiring the receptionist to retrieve the physical document from the machine.