Kalashnikov: World's Most Tragic Brand Faces Forgeries, Bankruptcy

In a list of the the most iconic brands of the last 100 years, a very good argument could be made for placing "Kalashnikov" near the top. But as its namesake designer turns 90, the AK-47 brand finds itself in flux, plagued by knock-offs, and slowly losing control of its identity, as its Russian manufacturer files for bankruptcy.

As a weapon, the AK-47 is the world's most popular. It is estimated that up to a million Kalashnikov rifles - in both AK-47 and AK-74 form - have been made worldwide. Even in silhouette form, all the meaning behind the brand is conveyed: Grit. Revolution. Reliability. Simplicity. Proletarianism.

For this reason, the AK-47 has also become a design and fashion icon. In the form of everything from money clips to necklaces, pendants and belt buckles to AK47 ice cube trays and even tongue-in-cheek anti-gentrification movements, the image of the AK-47 coveys meaning. Mozambique and Zimbabwe both display the gun's silhouette on their respective national flags.  

Western popular culture loves the "Ay-Kay," appearing in films such as Jackie Brown ("AK-47. The very best there is. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every mother-f****r in the room, accept no substitutes") to songs like Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day" ("Today I didn't even have to use my A.K. / I gotta' say it was a good day"). Yet, in the United States at least, the very image of the gun represents the "anti-" -- associated with enemies, be they Soviets, drug cartels, or Osama Bin Laden.

But even though it has never been more identifiable, the core Kalashnikov brand is in trouble. Russia's arms export agency Rosoboronexport estimates that at least half of the world's AK-47s are fake. Others say only one in every ten AK-47s is a true Kalashnikov, meaning that not only does the brand fail to profit from those sales, but its reputation is at risk thanks to substandard forgeries. The problem is so severe that, even though gun sales worldwide -- especially in the U.S. -- are booming, the Russian maker of the gun, OAO Izhmash, recently filed for bankruptcy.

Of course, unlike Coca-Cola, the brand cannot send its corporate attorneys to issue cease-and-desist orders to counterfeiters who are more concerned with, say, not getting killed tomorrow than they are obeying internationally recognized intellectual property law. So even as the awareness and popularity of the Kalashnikov brand becomes more popular, the very characteristics of the industry it came to rule (in theory) are the very factors which are killing the brand owner's ability to enjoy the accomplishment.