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July 31, 2009 -
Anatomic Global has sent
a letter of resignation to the
International Sleep Products
Association (ISPA) saying the
organization’s board and
professional staff have violated
their own code of ethics by
allowing Tempur-Pedic CEO Rick
Anderson to retain his position
as ISPA chairman while his
company, at the same time, “is
trying to put 13 other mattress
manufacturers out of business.”
Anatomic Global maintains that
ISPA officers and staffers have
violated three main points of
the organization’s Code of
Ethics:
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Point Two of the Code says
that member companies will
cooperate in every
reasonable and lawful manner
with the other members of
our industry for the
betterment of the mattress
industry;
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Point Three maintains that
member companies won’t do
anything that might cause
the industry adverse
notoriety or bring it into
disrepute; and
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Point Five says that member
companies will compete with
other mattress manufacturers
on an honorable and fair
basis.
“But it is Rick Anderson’s
Tempur-Pedic that is the
antithesis of this ethics lapse.
Their lawsuit against 13
competitors is un-American as it
attempts to restrain fair
competition and it is
dishonorable as it represents a
full breach of ISPA’s Code of
Ethics that specifically
requires honorable corporate
behavior, that does not create a
negative view of our industry,”
said Anatomic Global CEO David
Farley.
Farley said that while he had
questioned ISPA allowing
Anderson to remain at the helm
of the organization immediately
after the lawsuit was filed, he
was appalled when he learned the
staff and board of ISPA had
actually voted to support
Anderson when Englander
reportedly brought a motion
before the body. Farley believes
that not only should Anderson
step down, in any event, but
that his company should either
withdraw its lawsuit or its ISPA
membership should be revoked.
“Instead of bringing our
industry closer, Anderson’s
arrogance toward his industry
peers makes him unacceptable as
our leader. You cannot have
contempt for the majority of the
industry yet say you are the
champion of it at the same
time,” said Farley.
On Tuesday, Anatomic filed a
motion to be dismissed from
Tempur-Pedic’s lawsuit in U.S.
District Court for the Western
District of Virginia, on the
basis Anatomic lacks personal
jurisdiction and that Virginia
is an improper venue as Anatomic
never sold product in the
region. At the same time,
Anatomic initiated litigation
against Tempur-Pedic in U.S.
District Court for the Central
District of California seeking a
declaratory judgment in its
favor, saying that
Tempur-Pedic’s patents are
“unenforceable, invalid and were
not infringed upon under any
circumstance.”
Founded in 1989, Anatomic
Global, Inc. sets itself apart
by raising the bar on the
manufacture and supply of
“proudly made in the USA”
environmentally-friendly
mattresses and bedding. The
company upholds a 360-degree
green manufacturing commitment
in three ways – by developing
applications for its innovative
and sustainable plant-based
formulas; by leading the
industry with its zero-air
emissions manufacturing process;
and by applying the most
efficient direct-to-store and
consumer-direct delivery methods
for a reduced carbon footprint.
In 2008, the company launched
the Ecomfort Mattress brand of
mattresses featuring its
signature, patented
EcoMemoryFoam™ extreme open-cell
plant-based memory foam.
For more information,
visit
www.ecomfortmattress.com.
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