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Registered trade mark
Sadly, Exploding Custard''s fame and success have begun to breed imitators. The words, Exploding Custard, are a trade mark registered to me, Ian Russell. These two words may NOT be used together, in any form, to describe any other performances, demonstrations, goods, publications, programmes, services etc. Any such use is an unfair and illegal infringement of my hard-earned intellectual property rights. Please inform me if you come across these words in any other context, however apparently innocent. Unless there is a wilful intention to continue, I shall just politely tell them to stop. Of course, I am not claiming to have invented anything new relating to powder-explosion demonstrations (though I have certainly popularised them and many more science shows now include them). But the Trade Marks Registry confirms that I was the first person to invent and use the phrase Exploding Custard, however familiar and obvious it now seems with hindsight. I introduced it back in 1989 when there were far fewer popular science shows for young people. Now there are many, and their quality varies. I don't think it is fair, either to me or to the public, if the identifying feature of my personal contribution to popular science is used as packaging for other people's goods. I have publicised my position widely within the science communication fraternity. If you hear another science show presenter use the words Exploding Custard, please know that they are doing so unfairly and illegally. And please tell them. If you are itching to include a powder explosion in your own science show, then feel absolutely free to call it 'Flour Power'... Protecting my rights in this way has cost me money. I hope nobody feels uncomfortable about my stance. I don't know any other designer of interactive science exhibits who has freely given away as much other information and as many other ideas as I have done through this website...
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