You need to read up on contract law then. Anything written can count as a valid contract. Heck, even a verbal or handshake agreement can be a contract, and enforceable in court. The only thing that needs to be done is the contract has to be proven. IRC logs can server that purpose, as can emails, recorded telephone conversations, etc.
The only thing an official signed contract does is makes it easier to enforce, especially when it comes to the nitty-gritty details. But from what was said in IRC, this is easily an enforceable contract in which Patrick promised to pay back interest on a loan, and has failed to do so.
Unless Patrick repays the loan, he absolutely SHOULD be called a scammer. He has an obligation to pay, because he said he would.
http://common.laws.com/contract-lawThe most important feature of contract law is that one party must make an offer for an agreement that the other party accepts. When the agreement is made tangible through a signature, the agreement takes the form of a legally-binding document.
http://signaturecapture.com/laws.htmFor an electronically signed document to be enforceable in court, it must meet the requirements for legal contracts in addition to the electronic signature guidelines specified in the appropriate laws (e.g. UETA, ESIGN, etc.). According to ESIGN, an electronic signature is "an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record." In contract law, signatures serve the following general purposes:
Evidence: authenticates agreement by identifying the signer with a mark attributable to the signer that itself is capable of authentication
Ceremony: act of signing calls attention to the legal significance of the act, preventing ‘inconsiderate engagements’
Approval: express approval or authorization per terms of agreement
http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/writing-and-signature-requirements-for-a-valid-contract.htmlHandwritten, stamped, engraved, electronic pen, and photocopied signatures are all generally adequate to validate a contract unless the circumstances of the contract indicate otherwise. Some states indicate a simple mark or “x” is sufficient as a signature, but if this is an issue in a case, courts will look at all the facts to determine whether both parties intended to enter into the contract. Electronic and email signatures are now valid, but the exact requirements of electronic signatures vary from state to state.
http://www.australiancontractlaw.com/law/formation-formalities.htmlThe following discussion is based on complying with the formalities required by s 126 of the Instruments Act 1958 (Vic). The easiest way to comply with the formalities requirements in this provision is simply to enter into a written contract signed by both parties. This is not, however, essential. It is sufficient if there is a memorandum or note of the agreement (this might, for example, be as informal as a diary note or letter) and it is only necessary for the party against whom action is being brought to have signed it. The note or memorandum must, however, contain all the material terms (eg, identity, subject matter, consideration).
