scope:

The basic purpose of Registered E-Mail service is to provide users, in addition to the usual services supplied by the ordinary e-mail service providers, with a set of Evidence suitable to uphold assertions of acceptance (i.e. of "shipment"), of delivery/non delivery, of retrieval, etc. of e-mails sent/delivered through such service.

The present document specifies an architectural structure of REM, more specifically:

a) describes a logical model for REM including the most relevant REM architectural elements and how they relate to each other (REM-MD Messages, REM Sender, REM Recipient, etc.) and the following styles of operation:

1) "Store and Forward" (S&F henceforth), whereREM Objects are directly forwarded from REM-MDs to the REM Recipient; and

2) "Store and Notify" (S&N henceforth) where the REM Recipient is first notified of that a REM Object is stored and is provided with a reference to the location where the REM Object can be downloaded.

b) describes how REM components interact using external interfaces to REM users, and interfaces to other REM implementations;

c) describes a policy domain environment; and

d) specifies a list of different types of events and the REM-MD Evidence types that represent them.

Evidential services are deemed to comply with legal, regulatory or contractual requirements to provide legal validity and enforceability under domestic or international law.

The present document does not provide specification for interactions among architectural elements internal to the REM-MD. Although interfaces to physical mail could exist, the present document does not provide standardized interfaces to physical mail.

The structure of the present document is as follows:

• clause 2 contains the list of normative and informative references;

• clause 3 includes definitions of the relevant concepts to the present document and abbreviations;

• clause 4 contains the logical model for REM provision;

• clause 5 specifies REM interfaces;

• clause 6 provides a list of different types of events and REM-MD Evidence; and

• clause 7 deals with the implementation of a TSL based mechanism for allowing mutual trust of REM-MDs.