September 13, 2023

Thumbs Up!


Thumbs Up!
Ready to get emoji-onal? Wu Yi, Unsplash.

The Fifteenth Arbitration Appellate Court in Rostov-on-Don has upheld an initial court's ruling that the "thumbs-up" emoji serves as legal confirmation, tantamount to a signature on an agreement.

In March 2022, entrepreneur Siranush Harutyunyan finalized a R685,000 purchase (about $7,000) with another entrepreneur, Rodion Rudenko, for a mobile trading kiosk in the form of a retro van. The contract stipulated that the kiosk's color scheme required mutual approval through an additional agreement. Harutyunyan paid a R479,000 deposit, with the balance due before delivery. The contract also recognized the legal validity of documents exchanged via email or communication platforms, including WhatsApp.

Due to a delayed delivery, Harutyunyan sought a refund on his deposit. Rudenko claimed no additional agreement on kiosk colors was reached due to production delays. However, WhatsApp messages were presented in court in which both parties discussed kiosk color and size. On April 6, Rudenko suggested "A good yellow strip on a white background," receiving a thumbs-up emoji in response from Harutyunyan, and then went forward with the color scheme, which eventually led to the court case.

“This emoji means ‘good,’ in common sense when communicating through electronic correspondence,” the court order noted. The court also clarified that, following the emoji, Harutyunyan did not specify the actual meaning behind the thumbs-up answer, and that “the defendant took this answer as an agreement that did not require additional explanation.”

You Might Also Like

iPhones Banned
  • June 27, 2023

iPhones Banned

Members of the government have been forbidden from bringing iPhones to cabinet meetings.
Hold Your Tongue
  • December 19, 2022

Hold Your Tongue

The State Duma began reviewing a new law that would restrict the use of foreign loan words in official Russian communications.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955