...oder Nettozahlung dreißig (30) Tage ab Rechnungsdatum

What I don't quite get here is the "or" - I would have expected both to apply?

ZAHLUNGSBEDINGUNGEN UND EIGENTUMSVORBEHALT. Proforma-Rechnung oder für bestehende Kundenkonten rein netto dreißig (30) Tage ab Rechnungsdatum.

Pro Forma :


This is one of many Latin phrases used in trade, but it is one where the original meaning of the expression has been lost, or at least deviated from. The whole point of using Latin – and this is not restricted to trade, but is a condition that exists in a lot of places, such as in literature and law – is to transcend local language to arrive at a universally understood condition. Using Latin is not a perfect system, it is after all a 'dead' language and could never embrace the many modern conditions that have arisen since its 'death' – but sometimes Latin expresses something so perfectly, it is hard to find such a concise and compact way of repeating the process in English (or any other language). The expression ad valorem (definition 57) is an excellent example – the concept is easier to express in Latin than in any other language. The true meaning of Pro Forma is 'for shape'. It describes doing something (specifically filling in a form) for the sake of the process itself - performing in a set manner. The use of the expression in trade is not intended to describe this condition. Rather than completing a form simply for the sake of completing it, (simply 'for shape'), in trade the Pro Forma is intended to be a preview of the final shape of something which is of the same basic form as the preview. This is best expressed in the expression “Pro Forma Invoice”. This is intended to mean an invoice raised by the Seller on the Buyer which is very close to the true invoice which will come later. It is a convenient device when perhaps some fine detail is missing – which means the actual invoice cannot be raised – but when such detail is not material to other uses the Buyer may have. For example: The Buyer needs to get an import permit for certain goods. In order to issue it, the issuing Authority in the country of origin request a 'pro forma' version of the invoice. This will show values, commodities and names and addresses etc – enough for the Authority to verify the intended transaction and issue the permit. When the transaction takes place, the Seller issues the true invoice, against which the Buyer makes payment etc. You may also come across the expression “Pro Forma Claim”, intended to mean a claim lodged against a third party when damage or loss is suspected but not yet quantified. Again, the intention is not well expressed by the literal definition of the Latin phrase and the word 'provisional' would be better.

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