U.S. District Court

District of Oregon

CM/ECF User Manual

SECTION 5.0 - ELECTRONIC FILING PROTOCOLS

5.1 Signatures

(a) Signature Line Format: (See LR 11.1 and LR 100.6(b))

Each document electronically filed must include the Registered User's name preceded by an "s/" and typed in the space where the signature would otherwise appear, as well as the other information required by LR 11.1. For example:

s/ John Q. Attorney JOHN Q. ATTORNEY OSB #999-99999 (541) 999-9999 Attorney for Plaintiff ABC Corporation, Inc.

If the original document requires the signature of a person who is not a Registered User, the filing party may scan the entire document, including the signature page, or attach the scanned signature page to an electronic version of the filing.

(b) Documents Requiring Multiple Signatures: (See LR 100.6(d))

Documents requiring signatures of more than one party must be electronically filed by:

5.2 Creating and Using PDF Documents

The standard format for electronically filed documents is Portable Document Format or PDF. Adobe Acrobat is the application which generates PDF files from documents created in a word processing application such as WordPerfect or Microsoft Word. There are two primary methods for creating PDF documents. These are formatting text documents into PDF at the time of creation, or scanning documents from paper into PDF. It is strongly recommended that "Fillable Form" PDF files not be uploaded to the system.

(a) Converting a Text File to a PDF File:

Formatting text documents into PDF is the preferable method. Text documents are much smaller than imaged documents. The size of a PDF file created from a text file is normally only 20% of the size of a PDF file created from an imaged document. In addition, text documents can be searched for words and phrases. Imaged documents cannot be searched. To create a PDF file from a text document:

(1) Open the word processing application. To ensure that the formatting and appearance of the document remain the same when viewed either through the word processor or when viewed or printed through Adobe Acrobat Reader (the PDF reader application), the printer (File/Print menu) must be set to Acrobat PDFWriter before beginning to compose or edit the text document. If a document is initially prepared with some other printer specified, the ultimate conversion to PDF may introduce changes in pagination, fonts, spacing, or other formatting elements, requiring further proofreading and editing. After the document is saved as a PDF file, the user should print from the PDF reader application (rather than from the word processor application) to be sure that the printed copy matches the court's official version.

(2) To edit text from an older document, the user should first select Print, choose PDFWriter, and click Close before working within the text document. ∙ The user should select Web-safe, basic fonts which are small in size. For example, Times New Roman, Arial or Courier New are acceptable fonts. ∙ Avoid using special characters such as Check boxes □, Section Symbol §, or Bullets ●

(3) The user should save the text document into the users file directories using their firm's file naming conventions.

(4) After naming the text file, the user should select Print from the File menu. If the current printer is not Acrobat PDF Writer, the user may click the tab labeled Printer and next to the Name option, click the drop-down arrow and select Acrobat PDF Writer.

(5) In the Save PDF File As dialog box, the user must name or rename the document as necessary, being sure not to change or alter the .pdf file extension. Files electronically uploaded must have the .pdf file extension. If the dialog box does not appear, check the task bar at the bottom of the screen to locate the Save PDF File As button.

(6) After saving the PDF file, an Acrobat PDF Writer Document Information dialog box will appear. The user may insert more specific information about the document in this area and complete the process by clicking on OK.

(7) Check the file directory to ensure both the text version and the PDF version are there.

(b) Creating a PDF File from a Scanned Document:

For those documents that must be imaged because a word processor version does not exist, the preferred method is to scan the document directly into PDF format using Adobe Acrobat without running an Optical Character Recognition option. Users should consult the manufacturer's user manual for their particular scanner for additional scanning procedures.

(1) The quality of the document when scanned is determined by the level of detail recorded by the scanner. This detail is referred to as the resolution, which is measured by the dots per inch (dpi). A higher resolution is slower to scan (this is also dependent on the scanner and the number of pages that are scanned). The recommended resolution is 200 dpi.

(2) Scanning creates a document with a larger file size. This, in turn, causes loading and retrieval of the document from the application to be slower. The file size limit for any single file uploaded is 1.5 MB. If a file exceeds this limit, the user must break it down into smaller, separate files before completing the transaction.

(c) PDF Writer vs. Distiller:

The Distiller is a tool which, in most cases, produces a higher quality document than the PDFWriter. It is helpful to use when converting documents that are intended to be interactive or that contain graphics. However, unless there are graphics in the document, users should avoid using the Distiller. When a word processing document is converted using Distiller, the file size may be much larger than allowed.

(d) File Size Limits:

PDF files should be limited to 1.5 MB. Files which exceed this limit should be broken down into smaller, separate files. Several files may be uploaded as attachments to any single event. Whenever possible, documents should be converted directly from text files to a PDF.

(e) PDF Editing Features:

Once a document is filed electronically, users cannot modify the court record PDF version of the document. PDF editing features can be used, however, for copies of the filed document.

(f) Common Adobe Error Messages and Corrections: (See also PACER Frequently Asked Questions at: pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/faq.html)

(1) Version Compatibility Error Problem: An earlier version of the Acrobat Reader is possibly being used to read a PDF file created with the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Writer. Solution: The user should download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

(2) Uploading the Wrong Document Problem: The user has uploaded the wrong document with their entry. Solution: View the PDF file before uploading by right clicking on the document and clicking Open. Adobe Acrobat will launch and allow the document to be viewed. Double clicking or selecting Open from the Browse window will paste the file path name into the file upload prompt box in ECF.

5.3 Submission of Documents

(a) Filing Case Initiating Papers With the Court:

Initiating documents like Complaints, Notices of Removal, Indictments or Informations must be conventionally filed with the Clerk's Office. This is necessary due to the assignment by the Clerk's Office of a case number, judge assignment, issuance of service of process documents and/or payment of a required filing fee. Subsequent pleadings or papers such as answers, motions or responses must be electronically filed.

(b) Exhibits, Affidavits and Attachments:

Except as provided below in Subsections (c) and (d) below, exhibits, affidavits and attachments should be submitted in accordance with LR 10.4 and LR 100.4(c).

(c) Documents That May Be Filed Conventionally: (See LR 100.4(f))

(d) Documents That Must Be Filed Conventionally: (See LR 100.4(e))

The following documents must be conventionally filed and served:

(e) Voluminous Filings: (See Section 5.2(d))

(f) Proposed Forms of Orders or Judgments: (See LR 5.1(d) and Section 12.5(a))

Proposed forms of orders or judgments should not be submitted unless requested by the court. However, when the court requests such proposed orders or judgments, the filing party should include the words "PROPOSED ORDER" or "PROPOSED JUDGMENT" in the document caption.

(g) Judge's Working Copy: (See LR 100.4(b))

A paper copy of the following electronically filed motions, responses, and replies (including associated legal memoranda, attachments, exhibits, or declarations), and the Notice of Electronic Filing, shall be marked as a “JUDGES COPY” and delivered to the clerk's office within three days of the electronic filing: