e-Pen signs death warrant for bigamy

A Dutch company may have come up with a technological solution to end bigamy.

On Saturday Danny Beullens, a software developer for LCI-Technology Group, and Nele Vleugels from Leuven in Belgium used a biometric pen to sign their marriage licence in what is believed to be the first such union of its kind.

Not only does the pen contain ink aiding it to mark paper, it also contains built-in sensors that enables it to capture electronically the "dynamics and unique characteristics of a person's signature".

Hopeless romantics will no doubt focus on the marriage part of this lovey-dovey story.

However, if everyone used one of these when they got hitched then it would build up a monstrous database of signatures making it much harder for bigamists to ply their evil trade and break the law. And that has to be a good thing.

The pen can also be used for couples sealing their divorce although there are no plans for that at the moment. ®