ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 20 (UPI) -- Pottery Barn of San Francisco says there is no such rule in its stores that if "you break it, you own it," as cited in Bob Woodward's book, "Plan of Attack."

Woodward attributed the remark to Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was warning President Bush of the consequences of invading Iraq.

The real Pottery Barn, owned by Williams-Sonoma Inc. of San Francisco, said it is getting tired of the nonexistent rule being quoted in the news, The St. Petersburg Times reported Tuesday.

"This is very, very far from a policy of ours," said Pottery Barn public relations director Leigh Oshirak. "In the rare instance that something is broken in the store, it's written off as a loss."

Oshirak said some store managers have called her about the news reports. Pottery Barn has more than 170 stores selling home furnishings.

"It's upsetting and absurd that that analogy has been put out there," Oshirak. "You'd think that somewhere along the line they would have checked."