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CISG-online number

651

Case name

Milk powder case

Jurisdiction

Germany

Court

Bundesgerichtshof (German Supreme Court)

Chamber

VIII. Zivilsenat (8th panel for civil matters)

Judges

Dr. Katharina Deppert (Presiding Judge), Dr. Dieter Wolst (Judge), Dr. Dietrich Beyer (Judge), Dr. Peter Frellesen (Judge), Ulrich Wiechers (Judge)

Date of decision

09 January 2002

Case nr./docket nr.

VIII ZR 304/00

Claimant 1

Respondent 1

Case History

Sellers 2

Buyer 1

Category of goods

2: Dairy products and birds' eggs

Goods as per contract

2,557.5 tons of milk powder

Price

15'000'000.00 DEM (Deutsche Mark)

CISG applicable

yes, Art. 1(1)(a)

CISG applied

yes

Key CISG provisions applied

Art. 19; Art. 79(1)

CISG provisions also cited

Art. 2(a); Art. 4; Art. 7(1); Art. 35; Art. 36; Art. 45; Art. 74; Art. 75

Non-provision-specific issues addressed

Battle of the forms; Burden of proof; Contractual limitation of liability clause in CISG contract (including its validity)

This decision cites the following other CISG-online cases 2

This decision is cited by 13

Diammonium phosphate case
Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA)
Arbitration, 19 February 2023 – 1527/2021 (Final Award), CISG-online 6272

Electronic electricity meters case
Bundesgericht/Tribunal fédéral (Swiss Federal Supreme Court)
Switzerland, 28 May 2019 – 4A_543/2018, CISG-online 4463

Cuttings case
Oberlandesgericht Brandenburg (Court of Appeal Brandenburg)
Germany, 03 July 2014 – 5 U 1/13, CISG-online 2543

Roser Technologies, Inc. v. Carl Schreiber GmbH
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
USA, 10 September 2013 – 11cv302 ERIE, CISG-online 2490

Lamborghini hauler case
Oberlandesgericht Koblenz (Court of Appeal Koblenz)
Germany, 10 September 2013 – 3 U 223/13, CISG-online 2472

Clay case
Oberlandesgericht Koblenz (Court of Appeal Koblenz)
Germany, 24 February 2011 – 6 U 555/07, CISG-online 2301

Spanish white wine case I
Oberlandesgericht Koblenz (Court of Appeal Koblenz)
Germany, 22 April 2010 – 2 U 796/07, CISG-online 2290

Macromex Srl. v. Globex International Inc.
American Arbitration Association – International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA/ICDR)
Arbitration, 23 October 2007 – 50181T 0036406 (Interim Award), CISG-online 1645

Printed works for CD covers case
Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main (Court of Appeal Frankfurt am Main)
Germany, 26 June 2006 – 26 Sch 28/05, CISG-online 1385

Hungarian wheat case
Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe (Court of Appeal Karlsruhe)
Germany, 08 February 2006 – 7 U 1001/04, CISG-online 1328

Paprika powder case II
Bundesgerichtshof (German Supreme Court)
Germany, 30 June 2004 – VIII ZR 321/03, CISG-online 847

SO.M.AGRI s.a.s. v. Erzeugerorganisation Marchfeldgemüse GmbH & Co. KG
Tribunale di Padova (District Court Padova)
Italy, 25 February 2004 – 40552, CISG-online 819

Greek Powder and Cartridge Company SA v. Ministry of Defence (Iraq)
ICC International Court of Arbitration
Arbitration, 31 January 2003 – 7094/CK/AER/ACS, CISG-online 5445

Decision published in 9

Case identifier in the old Albert H. Kritzer Database

020109g1

Comments on this decision 11

Edoardo Ferrante, '"Battle of forms" and the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG): A note on the BGH (German Supreme Court) decision of 9 January 2002', Uniform Law Review/Revue de droit uniforme (Unif. L. Rev.) (2003), 975–981 [– in English]

Edoardo Ferrante, 'La battle of forms nella Convenzione di Vienna: una recente decisione del Tribunale federale tedesco', Contratto e impresa/Europa (2003), 485–511 [– in Italian]

Andre U. Janssen, 'De “battle of forms” in het Weens Koopverdrag: Het probleem van tegenstrijdige algemene voorwarden in het internationale kooprecht', 133 Weekblad voor Privaatrecht, Notariaat en Registratie (WPNR) (2002), No. 6488, 355–358 [– in Dutch]

André Janssen, 'Kollidierende Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen im internationalen Kaufrecht (CISG)', Wirtschaftsrechtliche Blätter: Zeitschrift für österreichisches und europäisches Wirtschaftsrecht (wbl) (2002), 453–457 [– in German]

Francis Limbach, 'Observations sous Bundesgerichtshof, 9 janv. 2002', Recueil Dalloz (D.) (2003), Somm., 2362 [– in French]

Maria del Pilar Perales Viscasillas, 'Battle of the Forms and the Burden of Proof: An Analysis of BGH 9 January 2002', 6 Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law and Arbitration (VJ) (2002), 217–228 [– in English]

Ulrich G. Schroeter, Internationales UN-Kaufrecht, 7th ed., Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck (2022), at no. 352 [– in German]

Thomas Simons, 'Case comment on BGH (D) 9 January 2002 – VIII ZR 304/00', European Legal Forum (EuLF) (2004), 1–3 [– in English]

Stefanie Theis, 'Anmerkung zu BGH, 9.1.2002 – VIII ZR 304/00', Entscheidungen zum Wirtschaftsrecht (EWiR) (2002), 429–430 [– in German]

Michael P. Van Alstine, 'The Unified Field Solution to the Battle of the Forms Under the U.N. Sales Convention', 62 William & Mary Law Review (Wm. & Mary L. Rev.) (2020), 213–286, at 244–245 [– in English]

Kaia Wildner, 'Art. 19 CISG: The German Approach to the Battle of the Forms in International Contract Law: The Decision of the Federal Supreme Court of Germany of 9 January 2002', 20 Pace International Law Review (Pace Int'l L. Rev.) (2008), 1–18 [– in English]

Full text and translation of decision 2