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Since January 1992, American quilters have been protesting Smithsonian involvement in licensing quilts made in China -- resulting in Congressional interest in the issue as well. There have been pressures to cancel the contract.

Four quilts are currently in the marketplace, and one American-made quilt is in development. The Smithsonian's Agreement requires it to release three additional quilt designs this year, but American Pacific is willing to back off and introduce only two this October, delaying the other two until spring 1993. One of the two released in October would be American-made.

In May, the Secretary advised Congressman Regula that no new quilt designs would be released to American Pacific without his written approval.

BACKGROUND:

In September 1991, the Smithsonian signed a licensing agreement with American Pacific Enterprises, an Ohio Corporation, to copy quilts from the collections of the American History Museum. The quilts were to be made in China using American textiles. Other terms of the contract included:

• Duration: 3 Years

• 4 quilt designs per year

• $130,000 guaranteed revenue for the three-year term

• $700,000 projected revenue for the three-year term

• Retail distribution through upper-end stores and mail-order catalogues.

The quilting community has been actively lobbying the Smithsonian, Congress, and the news media in an effort to compel the Institution to cancel the contract. Expressions of concern have taken the form of:

• Contact with reporters resulting in newspaper articles

• Expanded articles and editorials in quilting publications

• 2,100 letter and petition signers

• Approximately 150 Congressional inquiries and approximately 50 calls from Congressional aides

• Letters and commentary posted on computer networks such as "Prodigy"

• Radio call-in talk shows

• Reference to the quilt license and recommendations not to renew from the House Appropriations Committee.

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