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Knut, 2006 to 2011

By Johanna Gibson, David Pearce, Jeremy Phillips and Ilanah Simon.

The innocence of youth: Knut in happier times

The IPKat regrets to inform readers of the sad and untimely death of Knut, the celebrated polar bear who took the world of intellectual property by storm. The BBC has reported this morning that his death this weekend has reopened debate on the "ethical minefield of man's relationship with wild animals".  According to the BBC,

"Knut was born in Berlin Zoo in December 2006. Rejected by his mother, he was put in an incubator and brought up by humans. His abandonment, cute looks and close relationship with the charismatic zookeeper Thomas Doerflein, turned him into a huge star. He became an environmental symbol, acting as a mascot for the German government's campaign against climate change and being superimposed into a photograph with Leonardo DiCaprio for Vanity Fair's Green Issue in May 2007".

The cause of death has not yet been ascertained.  Despite his immense popularity, Knut never married.

IPKat posts on Knut here and here
MARQUES Class 46 posts on Knut here, here, here and here
Some Knut trade mark registrations here
Wikipedia entry on Knut here

Further reading

"Knut, Flocke, and Co: the bear facts revealed" by Dr Birgit Clark, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (2008) 3 (12): 764-774 (available in full here)

Full post as published by IPKat on March 22, 2011 (boomark / email).