Masons on the Continent are becoming increasingly angry at the growing practice of ceramic tile manufacturers using the names of stones for their products.

Last year Italian stone producers introduced a Natural Stone Mark to help distinguish real stone products from ceramic imitations. Now the Germans have carried out research on the internet to see just how many ceramic products they could find that carry the names of stones.

They found 269. Some had taken the names of commonly used stones (Botticino, Crema Marfil, Carrara, Statuario) and some the names of stones that command particularly high prices (Azul Bahia, Azul Macaubus).

In the opinion of the authors (and Michael Griese is a lawyer based in Duesseldorf) it is possible for the stone industry, in Germany at least, to take action against the ceramic plagiarists in three ways: 1) when a geographic origin is implied untruthfully (Carrara, for example); 2) when the names of stones have been established and used for many years; 3) when a product is untruthfully presented as something it is not.

Boerner and Griese say it is important for the stone industry to protect its names so that they do not become undervalued by these cheaper, man-made alternatives. They say the use of the names on ceramic products is a deception.

Their report can be viewed on the internet at the address below.