Response to Zazzle Inc. on misuse of coat of arms December 7, 2010
Mr Michael Karns
Zazzle.com Inc.
Redwood City, California
USA
(650) 261-3337
mkarns@zazzle.com
Cc: Lawrence Smalheiser
Trainer Communications
(925) 271-8211
zazzle@trainercomm.com
zazzle@zazzle.co.uk
development@zazzle.co.uk
Dear Mr Karns,
I am writing to protest in the strongest terms about your company's offensive misuse of the Cambodian coat of arms.
On the Zazzle website, you are currently offering your customers this revered emblem as one of the designs they can choose to appear on a pair of Pro-Keds Hi-Top shoes. This is completely unacceptable. Depicting the Cambodian coat of arms on any sort of footwear is regarded in my country as beeing deeply insulting to the King, the Government and the Cambodian people and has prompted considerable anger and offence.
It's similar, I would suggest, to the reaction one might expect in the United Stated if the the U.S flag was burned or otherwise besmirched.
While I am prepared to accept that this mistake was made inadvertently and that your company did not realise what great damage would be caused, now that you have been aware of the seriousness of the situation, I would insist that you immediately withdraw this item from sale.
I would also wish to see the cacellation of any orders already taken for this design and for your company to give an undertaking that it will refrain from misusing the Cambodian coat of arms at any time in the future. Indeed, Cambodian law prohibits the unauthorized use of the Cambodian flag and Cambodian coat of arms for business purposes and any further infringement could see your company subjected to public prosecution.
Yours Sincerely,
Hor Nambora
Ambassador of Cambodia to the Court of St James’s
London, United Kingdom
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KI-Media Note: Words underscored above contain typos pointed by KI-Media readers. It should be noted that Zazzle sells shoes bearing more than just Cambodia's royal coat of arms, the pair of sneakers below shows a picture of Sunset on Angkor Wat. While in Cambodia and in Asia, such display is an insult, in the west, such display is in fact used as advertisement also. Something to think about!
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KI-Media Note: Words underscored above contain typos pointed by KI-Media readers. It should be noted that Zazzle sells shoes bearing more than just Cambodia's royal coat of arms, the pair of sneakers below shows a picture of Sunset on Angkor Wat. While in Cambodia and in Asia, such display is an insult, in the west, such display is in fact used as advertisement also. Something to think about!
24 comments:
Ah ach 5 Bora ! boeu min ach té kom ach tâ tov teath ? sdap ban té Ah ach hor Nam Bora,ah leath porng kdâ ah khvak Hun Sèn.Ah Hor Nam Bora èng knows only your own mother. Ah Mother Fucker Hor Nam Bora.
Po Anh CPPAMERICAN@gmail.com.
I think they've already taken it off the website. I can't find it.
No it is here
http://www.zazzle.com/cambodia_coat_of_arms_shoes-167194455967462638
And one with ankor wat
http://www.zazzle.com/angkor_wat_sunset_cambodia_pro_keds_shoe_shoes-167399388505321599
i support all the voice of grievance by khmers. this shoe company has no right from cambodia to use our national symbol such as angkor wat, royal coat of arms, etc for their businesses. not only this is disrespectful, it is illegal and against khmer law that prohibits anyone, national or international, the use of our national symbols such as flag, angkor wat, royal coat of arms, etc, etc... this company should be sued by cambodia if they continue to do so!
Don't send them to the moon, peosecute the assholes!
send an email to the company and immediate withdrawal of the shoes!
Take that company to court for using our icons or properties without our consent. Sue them...
All Khmer should be protest about this miss use of Cambodia respected symbol of the king, and Angkorwat the symbol of our nation.
Only KI Media keep to be ok or happy about this kind of abuse from foreign company on Khmer.
យើងត្រូវតែនាំគ្នានិយាយពីអំពើក្បត់ជាតិនឹងអំពើអាក្រក់
របស់មេដឹកនាំកម្ពុជា មានដូចជា ៖
ពួកអាឆ្កែកញ្ជះយួន ហ៊ុន សែន, ហេងសំ រិន, ជាស៊ីម, សុខ អាន, ហោ ណាំហុង, ឱម យិនទៀង, ចៀម យីប, វ៉ា គិម ហុង, ស ខេង, ងួន ញ៉ឹល ។ល។ និង ។ល។
និយាយហើយនិយាយទៀតដើម្បីអោយជាតិ និងអន្តរជាតិ
ដឹងឮ ទូទាំងពិភពលោក។
Mr Ambassador,
what is "United Stated" ???
ជារឿងតែតិចទេសំរាប់ zazzle គេមានក្របូប អាវខ្លី និងគ្រប់មុខទាំងអស់ហើយ
I's not a big deal for zazzle, they have t-shirts, purses, posters, stamps, and even skateboards with Angkor Wat and the Coat of Arms. So they weren't trying to be offensive, they were just naively making more products.
Hopefully, the admin of 'zazzle.com' is not dumb stupid:
- here is not see:
http://www.zazzle.com/cambodia_coat_of_arms_shoes-167194455967462638
- here is still to see:
http://www.zazzle.com/angkor_wat_sunset_cambodia_pro_keds_shoe_shoes-167399388505321599
See?
http://www.zazzle.com/cambodia+gifts
http://www.zazzle.com/cambodia+arms+gifts
I had visited the site and it seems to me there are more than Khmer Coat of Arm in that site, so I dont think there is any problem since most of these products are made in China. If you wish to complaint you have to address that to China and since Cambodia is a recipient from China, I just dont think it is viable to make such complaint to Zazzle. This company could careless of what the commotion is all about. Not just Cambodia Coat of Arm is being embossed onto the damn shoes.
Do I make myself clear?
Zazzle Inc.
I thought the shoes were made in the UK .
KI, the only thing to think about on these western advertisers are that they are culturally insensitive and profit-driven people. This isn't about "freedom" of speech, it about bad advertisement and branding. They should have better brand analyst to avoid further insulting other cultures and people.
where can order this shoes?
I think people need to get a life, you all are being too sensitive about this issue and need to get over it. If you are patriotic and having pride for being Khmer you need to focus your concern with our neighbor enchroachment at the border by Youn and Siem. You all are a bunch of cry babies jumping on a band wagon thinking you are so tough. What humiliate is not a shoe with Angkor Wat to display as proud symbol, rather thousands of poor Khmer children having to roam at the neighboring country begging for foods.
Did the United Kingdom know about the flag,the Coat of Arm in each country? Yes, indeed they knew pretty well;not just the United Kingdom used Khmer flag,Khmer Coat of Arm last few years,even clothes.Why did they keep doing this to Cambodia?
Big shoe company in UK should know the rights about this.If some countries utilize UK flag,and Coat of Arm on shoes,on clothes or underwears,how do they feel?
The carelessness of this company makes fun to Cambodia as a state of unlawful one in the world.
Even if Cambodia is an unlawful state this company should respect the cultures or the rule of law of UN members.
that still doesn't make it right. this shoe company still have to ask for permission to use cambodia's national symbols, etc... we're not talking about other countries' national symbol, we're specifically talking about cambodia's, here, hello! i still say, sue this shoe company for illegally using cambodia's national symbols without permission or authorization from cambodia, the nation.
That's wat you get when you deal with a company without a sole (soul).
You fucking Viet-Nam (5) Bora,
You are the lowest of all human kind on this planet earth!!!
You know who I am already...
Does everybody know why they do this to us? Because The Khmer Kings worth shit.
Tell me what this King did to help srok Khmer? Is he a brave enough to stop what Hun Sen wrongs doing? Even Hun Sen's government moved the border post in khmer land, therefore khmer lost a lot of land. Cambodian people suffer everyday in spirital, physical, freedom. But this King does not even feel for the people of Cambodia.So this symbal worth ashit, this fucking king should not be born. (Khmer 79.)
They also sell "I Love PP" shirts. Haha
http://www.zazzle.com/i_love_phnom_penh_tshirt-235280384352156733
This bunch of so called Cambodian kings are worthless for today Khmer people. They don't even try to protect Khmer people and their land; we kept loosing 27 provinces to South Vietnam, a bunch of provinces to Thailand before that, and now we are loosing mare land as the demarcations are going with the south...So why we are so worry about their coat of arms being missed use ???
They can put on their toilet paper for that matter; it 's worth the shit to the face of all Cambodian people.
Bring Sihanouk to the UN court ASAP - we all need to know the thruth...And we all can surely handle the thruth !!!
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