Who gets to kname the knut?

In The Bear that came in from the cold, the IPKat related the sad tale of a fluffy little lost bear, abandoned on the roof garden of Olswang's Berlin office with nothing but a barcode (bearcode?) and a trade mark tag to keep him warm. A prize was offered to whoever could come up with the best name for this cute little creature, and the IPKat, aided and abetted by Merpel and Tufty, has been considering the best entries.

Right: this poor bear must roam the wilds in search of food and happiness, having failed to gain admission to any German zoo. Next year he will be too big to sit his Eisbärjungesaufnahmeprüfung (polar bear cub entrance examination)

Disappointingly there was no entry from Craig Smith (Freehills), who has already won two IPKat competitions over the past few years and who, like all great antipodeans, has a truly competitive streak. Knowing his success in these matters, the IPKat suspects that he may already have a cupboard (or should that be cub-board) full of the little fellas, trophy bears from previous competitions. Merpel says, there may be a gender issue here too: usually most entrants in IPKat competitions are male, but this time it was the women who provided the bulk of the name suggestions.

Geographical allusions to Berlin were suggested in the form of Bearlin (or, with umlaut, Bärlin). The bear's diminutive character and sweet disposition were also recalled, through such notions as Cutie Paws and -- these being diminutive Bulgarian terms for a little bear --Mecho or Mechentze (who said he had to have an English name, or a German one). One contestant suggested: "If a little cat is a kitten, maybe a miniature Knut could be called a Knutten". Indeed!

Other aspirants took note of the INTA background to the bear-lost-and-found saga. For example we were offered Binta ('B', for 'bear' + INTA) and Outa (since the bear wasn't registered for the Meeting. Also hypothesised was Intapol: the cub was found during INTA, looks like a POL(ar bear) and might help, support and assist some diligent IP lawyers in their international pursuit of IP fraudsters, etc.

But the wackiest, most devious suggestion -- and the winning one -- comes from Bernadett Keczer (Lovells), who says: "I would name it Sir Arthur Kingsley - Arthur alluding to Arctus and Kingsley to its being on the top of the food chain". Congratulations, Bernadett. Your bear will be posted off to you next week, by which time the IPKat should have found a Post Office in England that hasn't yet been closed down.

Thanks, all of you who entered -- even those who didn't abide by the rules (though Frozen Steiff has a merit all of its own ...)

The bear that came in from the cold

It was a cold, dark night on the roof-garden of One Potsdamer Platz and the revellers from the "Meet the Bloggers" reception had long since retreated from the chilly heights to the cheery warmth of Olswang's office -- but one forlorn figure was left behind to brave the unforgiving elements. This little figure was a small, silky polar bear cub (pictured here). Clad only in his washable white coat, he shivered in dejection and misery as he pressed his nose against the windowpane, abandoned and alone.

Taking pity on his plight, the Olswang staff rescued him and brought him in. But what could they do next? A casual inspection revealed that he was not an INTA registrant because he didn't have a badge. Subsequent due diligence did not reveal his name. The words 'Knut' and 'Steiff' were found attached to him. However, they appeared guarantees as to the unity of the origin of both him and his many brothers. In short, he was a Knut bear and a Steiff bear, but not Knut Steiff.

This being so, it has been decided to put this sweet little fellow up for adoption, as a prize to whoever can suggest the best name for him. The closing date for suggestions is midnight (British Summer Time) on Monday 26 May. Please send your suggestions by email here, with the words "Knut Kompetition" in the subject line. Entries will not be individually acknowledged, but the best names will be published on this weblog.

For some helpful literature on the naming of polar bears, visit Class 46 and key the word "polar" into the little box next to the words 'Search blog'.