Rule 7 Format of documents

(a) Format Requirements for Electronic Documents. An electronically filed document must:

(1) be created, saved as, or converted to, PDF format as specified in (b), unless the court orders that it be filed in a different format;

(2) comply with the size limit specified in the efiling instructions;

(3) not contain a virus detected by the electronic filing system;

(4) be consistent with Rule 5(g) and (h), if applicable;

(5) be accompanied by a certification of compliance with the Rules for Public Access to Court Records by the method specified in these rules;

(6) not contain any password protection or other security device, and

(7) Not contain an embedded hyperlink or internal bookmark.

(b) Required PDF format. To comply with subdivision (a)(1):

(1) a document, other than those excluded in paragraph (2) of this subdivision, that is efiled or submitted pursuant to Rule 1(g) must be in the form of a text-searchable Portable Document Format (PDF) or a text searchable Portable Document Format/A (PDF/A) file and be directly converted to PDF rather than scanned if possible.

(2) a document that is an attachment or exhibit that is a scanned image of its original form may be in standard PDF format and need not be text searchable.

(c) Format Requirements for Nonelectronic Documents. A nonelectronically filed document must:

(1) be clearly legible, with all text visible and dark enough to be readable on a scanned image, and;

(2) contain a certification that it complies with Rule 7(a)(1) of the Vermont Rules for Public Access to Court Records.

(d) Relation to Form and Formatting Requirements in Other Procedural Rules. The formatting requirements in this rule are in addition to, and do not supplant, form and formatting requirements imposed by other procedural rules.