 While the case was initially dismissed by lower courts, the Constitutional Court of Austria ruled in favour of the landlord, saying the notion of "life companion" ("Lebensgefährte") was only applicable to persons of the opposite sex.The European Court of Human Rights considered this ruling in violation of the anti-discrimination provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.Since this decision, cohabiting same-sex partners have been entitled to the same rights as unmarried cohabiting opposite-sex partners.