Case abstract
HUNGARY: Metropolitan Court Budapest 24 March 1992
Case law on UNCITRAL texts (CLOUT) abstract no. 52
Reproduced with permission from UNCITRAL
The [seller], a German company, demanded payment of the price and interest for goods sold and delivered to the [buyer], a Hungarian company. At first, the [buyer] disputed the existence of a contract and the delivery of goods. However, the court found that delivery had taken place once on the basis of documents obtained from the Hungarian Customs Authority and the forwarding agent had delivered the goods upon receipt signed by an employee of the [buyer].
The court relied upon a sales contract that had previously been concluded between the parties, in order to determine the price of the goods and the other elements of the contract and ordered the [buyer] to pay (Article 9(1) and 53 CISG).
As to the obligations for payment of interest, which is not regulated by CISG, the court, on the basis of the Hungarian Act on Private International Law (paragraph 25 of Legal Decree No. 13 of 1973), applied German law as the law of the seat of the seller. In this context, on the basis of article 352 paragraph (1) of the German Code of Commerce (HGB), the Court awarded to the [seller] interest at the rate of 5% on the amount due as of the day the obligation to pay the purchase price (determined in German currency) became due.
APPLICATION OF CISG: Yes [Article 1(1)(a)]
APPLICABLE CISG PROVISIONS AND ISSUES
Key CISG provisions at issue: Articles Classification of issues using UNCITRAL classification code numbers:
9C [Practices established by the parties];
11A [Formal requirements: no need for writing or other formality for conclusion of contract];
12A [Declaration by State preserving domestic formal requirements: effect of reservation under Article 96 rejecting Article 11];
14A [Criteria for offer, basic criterion: intention to be bound in case of acceptance];
53A [Buyer's obligation to pay price of goods];
78A ; 78B [Interest on delay in receiving or any other sum in arrears; Rate of interest]
English: Unilex database http://www.unilex.info/case.cfm?pid=1&do=case&id=19&step=Abstract>
German: Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Internationales und Europäisches Recht (SZIER) / Revue suisse de droit international et de droit européen, 1995, 279 Italian: Diritto del Commercio Internazionale (1993) 654-655 No. 14
Polish: Hermanowski/Jastrzebski, Konwencja Narodow Zjednoczonych o umowach
miedzynarodowej sprzedazy towarow (Konwencja wiedenska) - Komentarz (1997) 245-246 CITATIONS TO TEXT OF DECISION
Original language (Hungarian): Printed text may be obtained from UNCITRAL
Translation: Unavailable CITATIONS TO COMMENTS ON DECISION
English: Honnold, Uniform Law for International Sales (1999) 140 [Art. 12]; Lookofsky, Understanding the CISG in the USA (CISG/USA)(1995) 25, 28 n.9, 55 n.96; Lookofsky, CISG/Scandinavia (1996) 31, 35 n.11, 68 n.124; Bernstein/Lookofsky, CISG/Europe (1997) 31, 34 n.11, 71 n.117; Koneru, 6 Minnesota Journal of Global Trade (1997) 148-151; Curran, 15 Journal of Law and Commerce (1995) 175-199[187-192] [English summary of comments by Witz in Les premières applications, cited below]; Thiele, 2 Vindobono Journal (1998) 3-35, citing this case [n.59] and 42 other interest rulings; Saf, 1999 thesis [reference to case at n.372 (Art. 96 issues)]; Spanogle/Winship, International Sales Law: A Problem Oriented Coursebook (West 2000) [formation, terms of the contract 104-114 (this case at 105)]; Gabuardi, Open price contracts (June 2001); Bernstein & Lookofsky, Understanding the CISG in Europe, 2d ed., Kluwer (2003) §: 3-2 n.22; §: 3-3 n.29; §: 4-13 n.197; §: 8-8 n.46; Liu Chengwei, Recovery of interest (November 2003) n.188; Larry A. DiMatteo et al., 34 Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business (Winter 2004) 299-440 at nn.132, 199; [2005] Schlechtriem & Schwenzer ed., Commentary on UN Convention on International Sale of Goods, 2d (English) ed., Oxford University Press, Art. 9 para. 8 Art. 12 paras. 2, 3 Art. 14 paras. 3, 11 Art. 54 para. 9 French: Witz, Les premières applications jurisprudentielles du droit uniforme de la vente internationale (L.G.D.J., Paris: 1995) 62 n.25, 74-75, 106 n.115; Witz, Receuil Dalloz Sirey (1995) Ch. 143 [145 n.25-27] German: Schlechtriem, Internationales UN-Kaufrecht (1996) 41 n.98, 99; Schlechtriem, in: von Caemmerer/Schlechtriem, Kommentar zum Einheitlichen UN-Kaufrecht (2d ed. 1995) 124 n.6, n.8 [Art. 12]; Vida, Praxis des internationalen Privat-und Verfahrensrechts (IPRax) 1995, 261-264
Greek: Witz/Kapnopoulou, Ellenike epitheorese europaikou dicaiou (1995) 561 [571 n.35-38]
Hungarian: Székely, A Bécsi Vételi Egyezmény és a német anyagi jog együttes alkalmazása, in: Friss Hírek a nemzetközi kereskedelmi jog világából (No. 3/1992) 29-30 Spanish: Perales, Cuadernos Jurídicos 3 (1996) No. 43, 5 [7 n. 29] [commentary on determination of rate of interest (Art. 78): review of case law]Classification of issues present
Editorial remarks
Citations to other abstracts, case texts and commentaries
CITATIONS TO OTHER ABSTRACTS OF DECISION
Pace Law School Institute of International Commercial Law - Last updated August 12, 2005
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