Article 4 - Issuance of document

(1) The operator may, and at the customer's request shall, within a reasonable period of time, at the option of the operator, either:

(a) Acknowledge his receipt of the goods by signing and dating a document presented by the customer that identifies the goods, or

(b) Issue a signed document identifying the goods, acknowledging his receipt of the goods and the date thereof, and stating their condition and quantity in so far as they can be ascertained by reasonable means of checking.

(2) If the operator does not act in accordance with either subparagraph (a) or (b) of paragraph (1), he is presumed to have received the goods in apparent good condition, unless he proves otherwise. No such presumption applies when the services performed by the operator are limited to the immediate transfer of the goods between means of transport.

(3) A document referred to in paragraph (1) may be issued in any form which preserves a record of the information contained therein. When the customer and the operator have agreed to communicate electronically, a document referred to in paragraph (1) may be replaced by an equivalent electronic data interchange message.

(4) The signature referred to in paragraph (1) means a handwritten signature, its facsimile or an equivalent authentication effected by any other means.