Cal. R. 2.504

As amended through September 20, 2024

Rule 2.504 - Limitations and conditions

(a) Means of access

A court that maintains records in electronic form must provide electronic access to those records by means of a network or software that is based on industry standards or is in the public domain.

(b) Official record

Unless electronically certified by the court, a trial court record available by electronic access is not the official record of the court.

(c) Conditions of use by persons accessing records

A court may condition electronic access to its records on:

(1) The user's consent to access the records only as instructed by the court; and

(2) The user's consent to the court's monitoring of access to its records.

The court must give notice of these conditions, in any manner it deems appropriate. The court may deny access to a member of the public for failure to comply with either of these conditions of use.

(d) Notices to persons accessing records

The court must give notice of the following information to members of the public accessing its records electronically, in any manner it deems appropriate:

(1) The identity of the court staff member to be contacted about the requirements for accessing the court's records electronically.

(2) That copyright and other proprietary rights may apply to information in a case file, absent an express grant of additional rights by the holder of the copyright or other proprietary right. This notice must advise the public that:

(A) Use of such information in a case file is permissible only to the extent permitted by law or court order; and

(B) Any use inconsistent with proprietary rights is prohibited.

(3) Whether electronic records are the official records of the court. The notice must describe the procedure and any fee required for obtaining a certified copy of an official record of the court.

(4) That any person who willfully destroys or alters any court record maintained in electronic form is subject to the penalties imposed by Government Code section 6201.

(e) Access policy

The court must post a privacy policy on its public-access Web site to inform members of the public accessing its electronic records of the information it collects regarding access transactions and the uses that the court may make of the collected information.

Cal. R. Ct. 2.504

Rule 2.504 amended and renumbered effective 1/1/2007; adopted as rule 2074 effective 7/1/2002.