West Virginia Code 44-5B-2 – Definitions
In this article:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 44-5B-2
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Attorney-in-fact: A person who, acting as an agent, is given written authorization by another person to transact business for him (her) out of court.
- Codicil: An addition, change, or supplement to a will executed with the same formalities required for the will itself.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
- Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. Source: OCC
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
“Account” means an arrangement under a terms-of-service agreement in which a custodian carries, maintains, processes, receives, or stores a digital asset of the user or provides goods or services to the user;
“Agent” means an attorney-in-fact granted authority under a durable or nondurable power of attorney;
“Carries” means engages in the transmission of an electronic communication;
“Catalogue of electronic communications” means information that identifies each person with whom a user has had an electronic communication, the time and date of the communication, and the electronic address of the person;
“Conservator” means a person appointed by a court to manage the estate and financial affairs of a protected person. The term includes a limited conservator and temporary conservator;
“Content of an electronic communication” means information concerning the substance or meaning of the communication which:
(1) Has been sent or received by a user;
(2) Is in electronic storage by a custodian providing an electronic communication service to the public or is carried or maintained by a custodian providing a remote computing service to the public; and
(3) Is not readily accessible to the public;
“Court” means the circuit court of the county having jurisdiction over the fiduciary or designated recipient;
“Custodian” means a person that carries, maintains, processes, receives, or stores a digital asset of a user;
“Designated recipient” means a person chosen by a user using an online tool to administer digital assets of the user;
“Digital asset” means an electronic record in which an individual has a right or interest. The term does not include an underlying asset or liability, unless the asset or liability is itself an electronic record;
“Electronic” means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities;
“Electronic communication” has the meaning set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 2510(12);
“Electronic communication service” means a custodian that provides to a user the ability to send or receive an electronic communication;
“Fiduciary” means an original, additional or successor personal representative, conservator, agent, or trustee;
“Information” means data, text, images, videos, sounds, codes, computer programs, software, databases, or the like;
“Online tool” means an electronic service provided by a custodian that allows the user, in an agreement distinct from the terms-of-service agreement between the custodian and user, to provide directions for disclosure or nondisclosure of digital assets to a third person;
“Person” means an individual, estate, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, instrumentality, or other legal entity;
“Personal representative” means an executor, administrator, special administrator, or person that performs substantially the same function under law of this state other than this article;
“Power of attorney” means a record that grants an agent authority to act in the place of a principal;
“Principal” means an individual who grants authority to an agent in a power of attorney;
“Protected person” means an individual for whom a conservator has been appointed. The term includes an individual for whom an application for the appointment of a conservator is pending;
“Record” means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form;
“Remote computing service” means a custodian that provides to a user computer-processing services or the storage of digital assets by means of an electronic communications system, as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 2510(14);
“Terms of service agreement” means an agreement that controls the relationship between a user and a custodian;
“Trustee” means a fiduciary with legal title to property under an agreement or declaration that creates a beneficial interest in another. The term includes a successor trustee;
“User” means a person that has an account with a custodian; and
“Will” includes a codicil, testamentary instrument that only appoints an executor, and instrument that revokes or revises a testamentary instrument.