'Battle of the Polar Bears' Ends in Canada
By Rob Bates, Senior Editor -- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 6/1/2003
After three years of legal wrangling, Sirius Diamonds has settled its long-running dispute with the government of the Northwest Territories over who has the rights to local icon the polar bear.
Sirius gets the exclusive right to laser four-legged polar bears on diamonds for 10 years. The government owns the mark, although the official version is three-legged. Manufacturers participating in the government's Certification and Monitoring program can use the bear—the three-legged version—on supporting materials.
"We think that it's a win-win situation," says Bob McLeod, deputy minister of resources, wildlife, and economic development in the Territories. "Now we can all work together to advance the secondary diamond industry in the Northwest Territories."
Sirius also joined the government's certification program and recently doubled production at its Yellowknife factory.
