• ILDA Code of Business Practice

  • ILDA Code of Business Practice


Overview


The Code of Business Practice was developed to give Members specific guidance on various topics.

Because the Code of Business Practice is part of the Code of Ethics, it applies to every ILDA Member.

The Code of Business Practice has these main features:

     • Members shall comply with "generally accepted ethical business practices and guidelines." Reference is made to the Better Business Bureau, eBay's selling guidelines, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Act.

     • Members shall comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions where they do business. While this is already part of the Code of Ethics, the Code of Business Practice contains examples in areas where laws may be unclear or complex. In addition, reference is made to ILDA webpages with additional requirements for specific locations (e.g., U.S. laws).

     • The relationship between Members and their non-member business partners (such as dealers or suppliers) is clarified. This helps in cases such as if an end-user has a problem with an authorized dealer (non-member) of a Member manufacturer.

     • Product claims should be accurate in advertisements, online auctions, etc.

     • Safety features should be disclosed.

     • Proper use of the "ILDA" and "ILDA Member" logos is spelled out. This helps to avoid some problems we have had in the past with non-members who falsely claimed an "ILDA Seal of Quality".

In case of problems, it is first suggested to privately contact the ILDA Member. If this does not work or is not desired, an official complaint can be filed with the Ethics Committee.

The official way of resolving complaints is by having the Ethics Committee try to find a resolution. In extreme cases, a violator may have their ILDA Membership revoked. Note that this would be the strongest action -- ILDA cannot fine or otherwise penalize violators.


Benefits


The Code of Business Practice is helpful for the following reasons:

     • It gives specific guidance to ILDA Members. This is especially helpful to Members from areas where business practices or laws may be different than in other areas. For example, laws in the U.S. regarding importation of laser devices are more complex than those in most other countries.

     • It directly addresses past problems which ILDA and the Ethics Committee has dealt with before. Hopefully, these problems will be reduced or eliminated in the future.

     • This helps increase Members' business. Members can reference the Code in their advertising, webpages, etc. By stating "We comply with the ILDA Code of Business Practice", Members can give potential customers greater confidence in selecting them, over a non-member.

     • If there are problems, ILDA can help resolve them. Instead of a dissatisfied customer, who may not want to deal again with lasers or specific laser companies, ILDA can help make the customer satisfied.

     • It makes for a "level playing field" for all ILDA Members.

During drafting, one comment about the Code said that this might violate the Sherman Antitrust Act, as being "anti-competitive." ILDA has researched the Sherman Act, competition law in general, and association antitrust concerns. We made changes (in versions 1.9 and 2.2) to address areas of concern. Therefore, we do not see any elements of the Code of Business Practice which could be a problem.


For more information, visit our other ILDA websites:

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ILDAmember.com: Membership database and event management, including joining ILDA
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LasershowSafety.info: Information about safe laser shows, including laws, regulations, checklists, and more

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