L’tur based its argument on the fact that in Germany, the phrase “last minute” is used to refer to any cheap travel deal booked two weeks before it is taken. Since it is a widely used generic term, L’tur argued its use by Lastminute.com may cause users to think that such offers were only available at that site.
The court concluded that its use would not detrimentally affect competitors and that there was no law against the use of generic terms as domain names in Germany. Lastminute.com responded to this decision by maintaining that, because it did not restrict internet use, it would ultimately benefit users. Stephen Uhrenbacher, head of Lastminute.com in Northern Europe stated that “the court’s decision brings clarity to the whole German internet economy”.