- Joined
- Mar 8, 1999
- Messages
- 1,760
This is post is in response to veiled and not-so-veiled personal threats against me on the HI forum today. While I have already alerted the appropriate persons regarding these threats, here is my response to some pretty harsh things said about my personal character:
Stolen Pictures: As everybody knows, I borrowed pictures from Bills website (when there was no Gurkha House and when there was NO copywrite statement on his website) when my companys website was being constructed. That the under construction website was publically available is regrettable to me, and I apologized to Bill and removed the photo immediately.
Plagiarized Information: What information have I plagiarized?
Knocked-Off Models: I have always sought to produce models that were unique and previously unavailable. The reason for the similarity of many of our models is that until HI stopped doing business with TB, GH and HI knives were often made by some of the same bishwakarmas. The ONLY reason I started offering ONE model with a scrolled buttcap was because Bill no longer offers them, and because there was enough customer demand for them. Thats not stealing models if you ask anybody. Many of the original scrolled-buttcap khukuris that I offered in the recent past were in fact leftover HI khukuris (not "rejects" as anybody who bought one will attest to) that Bill didn't buy from TB. I was doing TB and Lalit a favor by buying them. I had them grind off the HI logo on some, and on others, the HI logo remained. They were sold at our normal prices and guaranteed by us.
I was simply defending myself against an untrue comparison. In the content of my response to the comment about direct-line control, I mentioned that I too had direct-line control of my product as evinced by the continued improvement in our line of khukuris since day one. Combined with Lalit and TBs expertise on the ground I found the comment made about my supposed lack of control to be a bit pointless and misleading to casual observers.
Whenever, as an imperfect human being, I did something I felt was uncalled for, I made an apology publically. Search the threads and youll see that plain as day.
You mean like the virtual givaway for the WWIII, which still isnt complete. If I was concerned only with making money, why have I made NO profit on this project. If you consider the many many hundreds of hours Ive put into this project, its obvious that I care about more than just profit.
I wont ever deny that Im in the khukuri business to make money. However, telling the truth, being fair to competitors, customers, critics and friends is my creed.
In closing, many of you who have rogered up to Bills challenge have been treated very well by me. Others I know are supporting a man you believe in, and theres no problem with that whatsoever. However, when things are said about my business practices in passing, directly, or indirectly, I have the right and responsibility to respond. When somebody makes a statement that does not correspond with information I gathered while in Nepal, I feel morally obligated to speak up. Believe me, I know that contradicting Bill or perceptions about how things work in Nepal brings with it a scorge of criticism, personal attack, and the like. Read the posts all of them. And youll see that 1) I have never said ANYTHING that I couldnt support with facts, 2) I have NEVER maligned Bills character, 3) that I have, when necessary, made apologies for any actions taken by me that were wrong.
That I should be called names, personally threatened, and the like is definitely not the sort of thing I expect from people here. Thank you to those people that, by your silence on the forum and the emails to me personally, are being supportive.
Sincerely,
Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
------------------
Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
Stolen Pictures: As everybody knows, I borrowed pictures from Bills website (when there was no Gurkha House and when there was NO copywrite statement on his website) when my companys website was being constructed. That the under construction website was publically available is regrettable to me, and I apologized to Bill and removed the photo immediately.
Plagiarized Information: What information have I plagiarized?
Knocked-Off Models: I have always sought to produce models that were unique and previously unavailable. The reason for the similarity of many of our models is that until HI stopped doing business with TB, GH and HI knives were often made by some of the same bishwakarmas. The ONLY reason I started offering ONE model with a scrolled buttcap was because Bill no longer offers them, and because there was enough customer demand for them. Thats not stealing models if you ask anybody. Many of the original scrolled-buttcap khukuris that I offered in the recent past were in fact leftover HI khukuris (not "rejects" as anybody who bought one will attest to) that Bill didn't buy from TB. I was doing TB and Lalit a favor by buying them. I had them grind off the HI logo on some, and on others, the HI logo remained. They were sold at our normal prices and guaranteed by us.
I was simply defending myself against an untrue comparison. In the content of my response to the comment about direct-line control, I mentioned that I too had direct-line control of my product as evinced by the continued improvement in our line of khukuris since day one. Combined with Lalit and TBs expertise on the ground I found the comment made about my supposed lack of control to be a bit pointless and misleading to casual observers.
Whenever, as an imperfect human being, I did something I felt was uncalled for, I made an apology publically. Search the threads and youll see that plain as day.
You mean like the virtual givaway for the WWIII, which still isnt complete. If I was concerned only with making money, why have I made NO profit on this project. If you consider the many many hundreds of hours Ive put into this project, its obvious that I care about more than just profit.
I wont ever deny that Im in the khukuri business to make money. However, telling the truth, being fair to competitors, customers, critics and friends is my creed.
In closing, many of you who have rogered up to Bills challenge have been treated very well by me. Others I know are supporting a man you believe in, and theres no problem with that whatsoever. However, when things are said about my business practices in passing, directly, or indirectly, I have the right and responsibility to respond. When somebody makes a statement that does not correspond with information I gathered while in Nepal, I feel morally obligated to speak up. Believe me, I know that contradicting Bill or perceptions about how things work in Nepal brings with it a scorge of criticism, personal attack, and the like. Read the posts all of them. And youll see that 1) I have never said ANYTHING that I couldnt support with facts, 2) I have NEVER maligned Bills character, 3) that I have, when necessary, made apologies for any actions taken by me that were wrong.
That I should be called names, personally threatened, and the like is definitely not the sort of thing I expect from people here. Thank you to those people that, by your silence on the forum and the emails to me personally, are being supportive.
Sincerely,
Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
------------------
Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor