A court ruling made recently has deemed it illegal for males to scratch their private parts in public.

The decision was made at Italy's Court of Appeal, where a man's act of scratching his private parts was described as "an act contrary to decorum and public decency."

Many Italian men are expected to be affected by the ruling, as according to the UPI, the act of touching or holding one's genitals is a normal act to bring good luck. The report said that for a man to grab his privates is simply like knocking on wood.

The ruling was made in light of a recent controversy involving a 42-year old man who was charged with gross indecency when, according to his lawyer, he was merely adjusting himself.

The man's lawyer filed for an appeal, but was turned down by the courts.

"The touching of genitalia is a public sign of ill manners and must be considered against public decency," the court said, as quoted by Fox News.

"The rules of social etiquette require all of us to abstain from what might be considered offensive to public decorum."

The man's original $304 fine was upheld, and was forced to pay an additional $1,521 in costs.