Posted on 06/02/2002 8:59:05 AM PDT by knighthawk
The AK-47 is a weapon of choice for rebels and gangsters the world over... a staggering 100 million AKs have been produced so far - enough to arm all the armies of the world
The AK is a weapon of choice all over the world
A two-year legal dispute between Russian companies for the copyright of the world-famous Kalashnikov assault rifle has been won by its original producer in the Urals.
Kalashnikovs - or AK-47s - are made in 19 countries, of which only a few have been paying royalties.
Those not paying have claimed there was not a sole patent holder.
The AK-47 is a weapon of choice for rebels and gangsters the world over.
It was designed by a retired Red Army officer Mikhail Kalashnikov at the end of the World War II and despite numerous modifications remains essentially the same.
It is simple to make and to use - making it easy to copy for dozens of arms manufacturers around the world.
A staggering 100 million AKs have been produced so far - enough to arm all the armies of the world.
The AK has made it into 55 national armies, and onto six national flags.
Soviet bloc countries acquired it officially and virtually free of charge, others took advantage of the fact that the USSR was not party to international copyright agreements.
AK is very simple to make and easy to use
Loopholes
This past self-imposed isolation is now haunting Russian producers of anything from vodka to weapons.
They have been fighting legal battles to get back their brand names lifted by unscrupulous rivals both at home and abroad.
But there are loopholes in the recently adopted Russian copyright law that allow domestic manufacturers to pirate foreign goods.
Music CDs and computer software are copied on an industrial scale and sold across Russia for a fraction of what they cost in the West.
So, Russia's complaints about copyright abuse are usually met with suggestions to put its own house in order.
There are several long-running disputes between the Russian manufacturers.
Now that the one over the Kalashnikov rifle appears to have been resolved, its maker is planning to sue foreign manufacturers to the tune of $18 million in unpaid royalties.
But many insist their products have only a passing likeness to the famous assault rifle.
It looks like the copyright war will be the toughest battle the Kalashnikov has ever had to fight.
Mikhail Kalashnikov first designed the rifle at the end of WWII
Please note the use of the words "self imposed isolation" as a euphemism for communism, the political ideology where individuals have no property rights and -- absolutely -- no right to individually profit from personal achievements such as an invention.
... The AK-47 is a weapon of choice for rebels and gangsters the world over ...How many national flags depict the AK-47?
Which flags and can anybody post some pics of these flags? That would be very interesting.
Good find! I almost met Mikhail Kalashnikov one day He was visiting my neighbor, Bill Ruger (Ruger Arms). Too much media there so I didn't stop over.
I believe the Springfield 03' action is based on a Mauser design and after the The Great War the United States paid royalties to the German company/government for the use of the design...
Shooter ? truth or rumor ?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.