Filipina-Kiwi teen recalls beating Nickelodeon in legal battle to trademark ‘slime’

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipina-Kiwi teen, who won a recent legal battle against Nickelodeon's New York-based parent company Viacom, is in the Philippines to share her success as a young entrepreneur.

Katharina Weischede, a 13-year-old Year 7 student at St Mary's College in Ponsonby, New Zealand, is in Cebu City until July 23 and will be in Manila on July 26, to hold a workshop, share her stories and teach Filipino kids how to make slime and play with them as well.

The daughter of a Filipina-Kiwi legal counsel and a German businessman, Katharina has been touted as New Zealand’s “Slime Princess” for her slime creations that she sells through her home-based business in Auckland.

“My slimes journey started long before becoming a Slime Princess,” Weischede shares in an interview sent to Philstar.com.

She was 11 when it all started. “During my school science fair, me and my group were looking for a project to do, so we decided to do a Crystal Garden. But sadly, it didn't work! We didn't have enough time, so a member of my group suggested to do an 'Obleck' experiment instead.”

According to her, an Obleck is a mixture that acts like a solid when lots of force is put into it. It acts like a liquid when you do not add a lot of force.

She, however, needed more time to do an Obleck, so she looked for something else that might catch the attention of her group mates. She did her own Internet research and videos about slime caught her attention.

“I became very interested in it and decided to whip up a batch. I dragged my parents to several stores looking for the slime ingredients. They actually did not know that it's a slime I was making. They thought it's for my science project. I made my first batch and I felt fantastic! From then on, my love for slime blossomed.”

Her science project was a huge success. This prompted her to do more research on slime and come up with her own recipe. 

“I finally perfected my recipe. I brought mine to school and my classmates began asking me what I was playing with. From one person, the rest followed. Then, I later found out, I was not allowed to sell. Our principal gently told me that I should not sell during school times, so I decided to sell after school.”

The selling after class went on and more and more kids are buying and ordering from her that she had to ask for a capital from her parents.

“Later, I told my parents, I needed more ingredients. This time, they asked me why as my science fair was over, so I told them and showed them the money I've earned. They laughed. Being as supportive as they are, they allowed me to experiment. Then, in November 2017, I gave them a list of everything I wanted to start my 'business' including my business plan, so they did.” 

Her slime creations reportedly became so popular in New Zealand that when she turned 12, Katharina tried to register a trademark to turn her slime-making hobby into a home-based business.

Legal battle with Nickelodeon

Nevertheless, Nickelodeon's New York-based parent company, Viacom, issued a legal warning asking Katharina to drop her Slime Princess trademark, claiming it was in breach of its own marks of "Slime" and "Nickelodeon Slime."

This saddened her and her parents, but what really bothered her is the possibility that she may not be able to share her designs and creations to other kids in New Zealand.

"I thought starting this business would be fun, but this has made me really worried, I can't sleep at night since I got the letter, and sometimes I even find it hard to study."

Katharina, however, stood her ground and started an campaign via a Givealittle page to raise money for a legal battle with the entertainment giants to keep her trademark.

According to her, the support she received from kids and adults all over New Zealand have really inspired her to fight for her passion.

After a grueling legal battle, Katharina prevailed in court and has slain the giant that threatened her kingdom of slimes.

Nearly two years after the case, she now continues to make her own creations of slimes and builds an army of fans and supporters via her own platforms and networks to continue bringing smiles in the faces of young kids and even adults.

She will be staying in the country for a few days to meet with kids, share her stories, play with them and make fun slimes.

“It’s going to be a an amazing experience here. I’ve always looked forward to sharing it with the kids here in the Philippines. I dreamt of experiencing it here, and now I am here, this is going to be different and special.”