Under German law, each side may break off negotiations until the contract is signed. Money spent in the hope of a deal is spent at one’s own risk. A judgment of the Federal Court of Justice of 29 March 1996 shows how narrow the exception is. A printer rented space in a building. The new owner planned to sell the units, and the two sides negotiated a price of 750,000 marks for the printer’s space. From April 1991 to February 1992, the printer paid to convert the rooms. Then the owner asked for 1,000,000 marks, and the sale failed. The court said that such costs can be claimed only if the contract could be taken as certain. Because a property sale needs a notary, the court set a further condition. As a rule, the other side must have acted on purpose, for example by pretending to be ready to sign. The court gave its reason. Liability for an honest change of mind would mean einen indirekten Zwang zum Vertragsabschluß, indirect pressure to conclude the contract.