Stand up for right to pee

A German sign advising men to sit to urinate.

A Duesseldorf court has ruled in favour of a man's right to urinate while standing up after his landlord demanded money for damage to the bathroom floor.

The landlord sought 1900 ($2855) from a tenant's 3000 deposit to pay for repairs because a marble lavatory floor had allegedly "lost its sheen" by being regularly sprinkled with urine.

But the judge ruled that the man's method was within cultural norms, saying "urinating standing up is still common practice".

There is some debate in Germany about whether men should sit or stand to pee.

Some toilets in the country have red traffic-style warnings signs, expressly forbidding the standing position.

But those who choose to rest their legs and sit are often referred to as "sitzpinkler", a derogatory term implying that it is not masculine behaviour.

Judge Stefan Hank said that lasting damage to marble floors from spilled urine was virtually unknown.

"Despite growing domestication of men in this matter, urinating while standing up is still common practice."

Judge Hank said men who insist on standing "must expect occasional rows with housemates, especially women" but cannot be held to account for collateral damage in households.

He threw the case out.