Men may stand up as they urinate, a German court has ruled.
The case came after a landlord attempted to retain part of his tenant’s deposit for allegedly damaging the marble floor of the bathroom by spraying it with urine.
Dusseldorf Judge Stefan Hank said men who insist on standing “must expect occasional rows with housemates, especially women” but cannot be held accountable for collateral damage, Reuters reports.
The issue of whether a man stands or sits to urinate is a contentious one in Germany
The issue of standing or sitting when urinating has long been a hot topic in Germany.
A campaign to convert standing urinators know as “Stehpinkler” into sitting ones “Sitzpinkler” has been ongoing, The Local writes.
In 2004, a company called Patentwert produced a product intented to shame men into sitting down to urinate, The Telegraph reports.
The £6 device was attached to a toilet seat and was activated when it was raised.
“Hey, stand-peeing is not allowed here and will be punished with fines, so if you don’t want any trouble, you’d best sit down”, it said, in a voice reminiscent of Gerhard Schroder.
The newspaper adds “many millions” of the gadgets have been sold in Germany.