Back in 2013 I proposed +a +way to make paper and PDF invoices easier to process electronically by +adding a QR code with the key information about the invoice. I +suggested using vCard field definition, to get some standard format +for name and address, but any format would work. I did not do +anything about the proposal, but hoped someone one day would make +something like it. It would make it possible to efficiently send +machine readable invoices directly between seller and buyer.
+ +This was the background when I came across a proposal and +specification from the web based accounting and invoicing supplier +Visma in Sweden called +UsingQR. Their PDF invoices contain +a QR code with the key information of the invoice in JSON format. +This is the typical content of a QR code following the UsingQR +specification (based on a real world example, some numbers replaced to +get a more bogus entry). I've reformatted the JSON to make it easier +to read. Normally this is all on one long line:
+ +
+{
+ "vh":500.00,
+ "vm":0,
+ "vl":0,
+ "uqr":1,
+ "tp":1,
+ "nme":"Din Leverandør",
+ "cc":"NO",
+ "cid":"997912345 MVA",
+ "iref":"12300001",
+ "idt":"20151022",
+ "ddt":"20151105",
+ "due":2500.0000,
+ "cur":"NOK",
+ "pt":"BBAN",
+ "acc":"17202612345",
+ "bc":"BIENNOK1",
+ "adr":"0313 OSLO"
+}
+
+
+The interpretation of the fields can be found in the
+format
+specification (revision 2 from june 2014). The format seem to
+have most of the information needed to handle accounting and payment
+of invoices, at least the fields I have needed so far here in
+Norway.
+
+Unfortunately, the site and document do not mention anything about +the patent, trademark and copyright status of the format and the +specification. Because of this, I asked the people behind it back in +November to clarify. Ann-Christine Savlid (ann-christine.savlid (at) +visma.com) replied that Visma had not applied for patent or trademark +protection for this format, and that there were no copyright based +usage limitations for the format. I urged her to make sure this was +explicitly written on the web pages and in the specification, but +unfortunately this has not happened yet. So I guess if there is +submarine patents, hidden trademarks or a will to sue for copyright +infringements, those starting to use the UsingQR format might be at +risk, but if this happen there is some legal defense in the fact that +the people behind the format claimed it was safe to do so. At least +with patents, there is always +a +chance of getting sued...
+ +I also asked if they planned to maintain the format in an +independent standard organization to give others more confidence that +they would participate in the standardization process on equal terms +with Visma, but they had no immediate plans for this. Their plan was +to work with banks to try to get more users of the format, and +evaluate the way forward if the format proved to be popular. I hope +they conclude that using an open standard organisation like +IETF is the correct place to +maintain such specification.
+ +Update 2016-03-20: Via Twitter I became aware of +some comments +about this blog post that had several useful links and references to +similar systems. In the Czech republic, the Czech Banking Association +standard #26, with short name SPAYD, uses QR codes with payment +information. More information is available from the Wikipedia page on +Short +Payment Descriptor. And in Germany, there is a system named +BezahlCode, +(specification +v1.8 2013-12-05 available as PDF), which uses QR codes with +URL-like formatting using "bank:" as the URI schema/protocol to +provide the payment information. There is also the +ZUGFeRD +file format that perhaps could be transfered using QR codes, but I am +not sure if it is done already. Last, in Bolivia there are reports +that tax information since november 2014 need to be printed in QR +format on invoices. I have not been able to track down a +specification for this format, because of my limited language skill +sets.
+
