To the editorial staff and advertising staff of Kalmbach.

Can more than 500 members of the bead community be wrong? Will Kalmbach consider the issues involved in the advertising by Minek INC presenting themselves as Austin Hamilton (et al)? Does Kalmbach Publishing realize that the people who took the time to sign the petition about disclosing the country of manufacture are very concerned and very serious about the issue of someone placing advertisements that do give the full picture to the buyers. Austin Hamilton beads are made in China, yet they do not state it in their advertisements, in their promotional materials, their auctions or their site.

The petition can be viewed at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/872722428

You will recognize many prominent members of the lampwork community who have signed along with many concerned members of the beading community.

Please open a discussion on the topic and ask the people who matter, your subscribers and readers and advertisers.

-Su Poole

WTG Su!

Considering the replies we have had from them so far I think not. I was given the current issue of Bead Style mag this week and when you open the cover the first page is a full page advert for AH beads - I'm disgusted. [censored]

I don't get this - mind you I don't buy B&B .. Is this company FALSLY advertising where they are made? or are they just NOT STATING where they are made? big difference ..

QUOTE: Originally posted by Kazoom I don't get this - mind you I don't buy B&B .. Is this company FALSLY advertising where they are made? or are they just NOT STATING where they are made? big difference ..

They claim to be artisan made lampwork beads made in Canada.

They are actually mass produced in China and are not annealed.

They have also stolen images from other artists and seem to disregard copyright laws and use misrepresentation as a marketing tool. [}:)]

I signed this petition also. I think that what they are doing is very wrong. They shouldn't be able to get away with that. And Kalmbach should NOT be supporting it.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Kazoom I don't get this - mind you I don't buy B&B .. Is this company FALSLY advertising where they are made? or are they just NOT STATING where they are made? big difference ..

It's not a big difference at all. The law in the US requires that the country of manufacture be stated on all items brought into the country, so by concealing that information and giving the false impression that some guy named 'Austin Hamilton' 'designs the beads in his studio' buyers are being misled.

And that's unethical.

As long as Kalmbach continues to permit adverts from Minek/AustinHamilton, we will not be renewing our advertising with them. The ISGB even had a discussion with the company and refunded the 'business membership' fee.

Kalmbach surely owes it to their readers and subscribers and advertisers to pay attention to this issue.

-Su

I gotta admit, I'm 110% behind teagirl on this.

However, if Kalmbach is in an advertising agreement with this supplier, they are contractually bound to honor that agreement.

But their editorial columns are their their domain.

Maybe its time for an editorial about the McKinley Act (full disclosure about country of manufacture) in the same vein as the copyright problems in the past. They don't necessarily have to name names, simply enlighten their readership about this issue.

Kim

QUOTE: Originally posted by .beadphreak. I gotta admit, I'm 110% behind teagirl on this. However, if Kalmbach is in an advertising agreement with this supplier, they are contractually bound to honor that agreement.

Yet, they can cancel a contract if the advertiser is violating the law. They are not contractually bound to keep advertising something that is not legal or violates their standards.

I hope the editors are reading this.

-Su

QUOTE: Originally posted by Teagirl I hope the editors are reading this. -Su

I hope so too!

Unfortunately, as of late, corporations have been extended constitutional rights normally granted only to individual citizens over the past 200 years on my end of the pond.

The moment Kalmbach pulls questionable ads, regardless of Kalmbach Publishing's ethical and legal position, they (the company in question) now can counter with a lawsuit that Kalmbach deined their freedom of speech.

You & I might know its crap, but the US legal system does not necessarily see it that way. Sad, but very true, and held up by previous rulings. When you get to that point, in the end it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, but who has the most money and the best counsel.

However, Kalmbach is not obliged to renew their advertising contract. And they do have their editorial dept. at their disposal, I'm just sayin' and dropping a hint :)

Kim

Sometimes, it's the bottom line that matters the most.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Silver1 Sometimes, it's the bottom line that matters the most.

This is what I am concerned about. A seller that admits in emails that the beads are made in China but refuses to inform the customers of that fact is going to cause more pain and frustration to beaders than can be cured by the money in the magazine coffers.

It was a step in the right direction that they pulled the BeadStyle giveaway. But that's all that's happened. Sadly, I was told by the advertising director that 'as there were no outstanding complaints about AH, there would be no action taken' Seems to me that the petition shows that there is a lot of unhappiness about the lack of ethics on the part of Minek.

I've posted till I'm blue in the face, it's simply being ignored which is a shame. I am not just making noises when I say that the British Lampwork advertising cooperative will not advertise with Kalmbach once our contract is up as long as this issue remains unaddressed, nor will I buy or recommend any Kalmbach publication as long as the advertiser is permitted to continue with the practice of not stating openly the country of manufacture of the beads they sell.

-Su

Hey, I'm just musing/guessing here....

Would a copy of the signed petition sent directly to the US Dept. of Commerce and its British counterpart be a step in the right direction?

I don't know if this would be any good, its just an idea, and maybe a lame one at that...

Kim

QUOTE: Originally posted by .beadphreak. Hey, I'm just musing/guessing here.... Would a copy of the signed petition sent directly to the US Dept. of Commerce and its British counterpart be a step in the right direction? I don't know if this would be any good, its just an idea, and maybe a lame one at that... Kim

It's not a bad idea at all, Kim. I am working on a list of every possible place to send the petition. If you look at the petition, the target recipient is the advertising manager of Kalmbach Publishing. Not one peep from them though.

What bothers me the most is that Minek/AustinHamilton/MilanSilver/Daniel Rokosz is very aware of this petition and the issues behind it, especially since Mr Rokosz was contacted by the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers) about his membership in the society, which membership is now ended and the membership fee refunded and yet this isn't enough of an indication of how the issue is viewed in the beading community for Minek to simply do the honest and ethical thing, simply say in public in their adverts, their website and their auctions that Austin Hamilton beads are made in China, imported into Canada and then shipped worldwide without telling the buyers the country of origin. This doesn't even cover the issue of his taking text and images without permission.

It's wrong, horribly and unfairly wrong, and the people who suffer are the customers who buy beads based on the information given which is not accurate or complete.

-Su

QUOTE: Originally posted by .beadphreak. QUOTE: Originally posted by Teagirl I hope the editors are reading this. -Su I hope so too! Unfortunately, as of late, corporations have been extended constitutional rights normally granted only to individual citizens over the past 200 years on my end of the pond. The moment Kalmbach pulls questionable ads, regardless of Kalmbach Publishing's ethical and legal position, they (the company in question) now can counter with a lawsuit that Kalmbach deined their freedom of speech. You & I might know its crap, but the US legal system does not necessarily see it that way. Sad, but very true, and held up by previous rulings. When you get to that point, in the end it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, but who has the most money and the best counsel. However, Kalmbach is not obliged to renew their advertising contract. And they do have their editorial dept. at their disposal, I'm just sayin' and dropping a hint :) Kim

Advertising isn't speech, and it does have to follow guidelines or else publishers have every right to pull it. My contract with Kalmbach says specifically that they can pull any advertisement:

QUOTE: Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertising copy which at its discretion is deemed objectionable, misleading, not in the best interests of the reader or contrary to Federal and State regulations, whether or not the advertisement had previously been accepted and/or published. Publisher further reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement .... at any time without giving cause.

That should cover it, you might think. I would have thought so, that the best interests of the reader are not served by having adverts from a company that conceals the country of origin of its beads.

-Su