 Initially known as The POD ( and officially registered as 'The Platypus Of Deliverance Association' - which won the debate against 'the Prince of Darkness Association'), the change of name came as a result of threatened legal action in 1997.Octapod was conceived as an incubator and a common infrastructure for a variety of independent projects.Octapod operated as a volunteer run and project based organisation until 2004 when it took on paid staff as the result of increased funding.