The black and white Octopus insignia was a symbol of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the criminal spy organization seen in other James Bond movies. However, in the short story and this movie, it has no connection to either story. Even if the producers had wanted to resurrect the Octopus symbol for this movie, the legal settlement with Kevin McClory gave him all of the rights to the use of "S.P.E.C.T.R.E.", and as such, the black-and-white octopus insignia could not have been used in this movie. The type of octopus seen on the Octopussy girls' bodies was different. It was a Blue-ringed octopus. In this movie, this symbol was a sign of an old secret order of female bandits and smugglers.