Deruta and Ceramics Fraud

Aug. 8, 2008 - PRLog -- Deruta's mayor, Alvaro Verbena, recently announced major legal moves against fakers who copy Deruta ware and use the name "Deruta" to deceive buyers into believing they buy Deruta hand-made products.

In a move that stunned some but surprised no-one it was recently announced (www.derutanews.it , Issue 3) that the Deruta municipality had initiated legal proceedings against four ceramists who had been selling fake "Deruta" ceramics to the public.

Following a number of warnings over previous months Deruta mayor's Alvaro Verbena announced that Deruta will fight to the end to protect the "Deruta" tradename and safeguard the rights of Deruta ceramists.

Fakers from all over the world deceive buyers into believing they buy Deruta ware when this is not so. Ceramics is often copied from Deruta originals, cheaply printed, marked Deruta, and sold off the shelves and through internet as original products.

Worldwide registration of the trade mark (see www.derutanews.it , Issues 1 and 2) and informing the population at large was obviously not enough. The administration has now decided to move a step forward and show the determination that is sometime necessary to stop or at least limit certain abusive practices.

Whatever best than begin by cleaning its own backyard. Not all shops taken to Court are from the Umbrian region and this just shows how widespread the practice is. More worrying is that some had been selling their goods through internet obviously deceiving internauts who thought they bought Deruta.

A brief look at internet unfortunately shows that this is a widespread practice. There are hundreds of people out there who claim to sell Deruta and, most times, it is evident they sell fakes. Other times it is difficult to spot them as fakers are becoming more subtle in their approach.

One way is for customers to get certification that the product comes from Deruta. Another is that if customers are in doubt they should drop the product. A third way, probably the best, is to call for the experts. Read Deruta News to learn how.

The four shops are only the tip of the iceberg and more will emerge in months to come. In the meantime all were reported to the higher Italian authorities who will ensure there is no repetition. Ceramists are in for both civil and penal suits.

The culprit shops were reported by Deruta ceramists who are obviously getting tired of having to compete against fakers. As this action spreads it is also likely that some fake ceramics will be removed from the shelves

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Deruta Newsletter an independent newsletter produced under the Patronage of the Deruta Borough, Italy