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So far Viacom said it has contacted just "dozens out of thousands" of Web sites and only plans to confront those that commit "the most serious kinds of infringement." But while most sites have complied with Viacom's demands, others remain openly defiant and have mounted a counter-campaign that compares Paramount to the Borg. They have even set up an Anti-Viacom Web page to rally supporters.
Duffy said it's unclear at this point how Viacom will proceed against those sites that refuse to remove the infringing material. She added that Paramount and Viacom have the highest respect for Star Trek fans and they are being "highly selective" in their enforcement program.
Star Wars special edition opens Jan. 31
The long-awaited special edition of Star Wars opens in theaters around the United States on Jan. 31, to be followed by The Empire Strikes Back on Feb. 21 and Return of the Jedi on March 7. The release of the special edition marks the 20th anniversary of the original Stars Wars movie, which debuted in 1977 and quickly established itself as one of the premiere science fiction films of all time.
The special editions of the old films include extra footage and digitized special effects that Writer/Director George Lucas was unable to include the first time around. "There were various things, especially in the original film, that I wasn't satisfied with -- special effects shots that never were really finished, scenes that I'd wanted to include that couldn't be included for some reason, mostly money and time," Lucas said.
Starship Troopers delayed until Nov. 7
One of 1997's hotly anticipated science fiction movies, Starship Troopers by director Paul Verhoven (Total Recall, Basic Instinct) , has been pushed back to a Nov. 7 release date. The movie had been scheduled to open on July 2, but studio executives were reportedly so impressed with preliminary scenes that they decided to release it during the crowded but lucrative holiday season.
Starship Troopers is based on the Robert Heinlein book of the same name and has already been lauded for its special effects by those who have seen pre-release snippets.
Playmates, Viacom renew deal for Star Trek toys
Star Trek: The Toy Factory is ramping up to visit new frontiers of production, marketing and profits in 1997. Playmates, the toy company that has held Star Trek's master toy license since 1992, has renewed its licensing agreement with Viacom Inc. for 1997.
"In the spirit of Star Trek, our plans for the brand are to explore new frontiers and stretch the imagination," said Richard Sallis, president of Playmates.
In keeping with this philosophy, next month Playmates will unveil new action toys based on upcoming Star Trek films, television episodes, novels and comic books. They include "new collectible items that are certain to set new standards for authenticity, detail and packaging."
Coppola sues Sagan over Contact
Francis Ford Coppola's film company Zoetrope has filed a suit against the late astronomer Carl Sagan and Warner Bros. over the upcoming film Contact. Contact is based on a book that Sagan wrote, which Coppola says was itself based on a television project that he created.
Coppola said that he brought Sagan in on the television project as a collaborator and that Sagan was granted the right to publish a book about the subject. But Sagan was supposed to share book revenues with Zoetrope, something Coppola said never happened. Now Coppola is seeking a $250,000 cut of the action and halt to production of the film.
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Benford begins second Foundation trilogy
HarperPrism is set to release the first of a new three-book series called The Second Foundation Trilogy, which is based on the Foundation novels written by Isaac Asimov. Foundation's Fear by Gregory Benford will hit store shelves this March, followed by Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear in March 1998 and Third Foundation by David Brin in March 1999.
In the afterword to Foundation's Fear, Benford writes that although the three novels are being developed as stand-alone books, they will "none the less carry forward an overarching mystery to its end." His novel, being released as a $23 hardcover, deals with a voyage to the beginning of the Foundation and its founder, Hari Seldon.
According to Benford, the second trilogy was the brainchild of Janet Asimov and Asimov's estate representative, Ralph Vicinanza.
Battleground Earth establishes TV breachhead
When Gene Roddenberry's Battleground Earth debuts in September, it will be with a 22-episode commitment and penetration into 27 of the top 30 television markets, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, a one-hour action show written by Roddenberry before his death, is being produced by Tribune Entertainment Co.
Tribune is pushing Battleground together with another new show called Nightman in a back-to-back prime time slot. While Roddenberry's series deals with the premise of aliens coming to Earth, Nightman is based on the comic book hero of the same name from Malibu Comics.
Battleground has been described as Roddenberry's paranoid vision of the future, where seemingly benevolent aliens help humanity cure disease and end hunger. But an underground resistance feels the aliens are too good to be true, and they're determined to expose the visitors for what they really are.
Kolchak is back!
In 1972 Kolchak: The Night Stalker was the highest rated TV movie of all time (today it still ranks No. 5). Although followed by a less-successful second movie and then a television series that never achieved more than a cult following, Kolchak's influence has never really died. Even Chris Carter admitted that he borrowed more than a little inspiration from the series when he created his hit show, The X-Files.
Now Morgan Creek Productions plans to bring Kolchak to the big screen, directed by none other than Dan Curtis, the man behind the original movie 25 years ago. Curtis said Kolchak should have been made into a feature from the start, and Morgan Creek apparently agreed. The plot revolves around a has-been reporter who is the only one that realizes a serial killer in Las Vegas is really a vampire.
Space: Above & Beyond alive and well...in the U.K.
Space: Above & Beyond might be last year's news in the United States, but in the United Kingdom it's just getting started. Last week the BBC2 began airing Space in its Friday night, 11:15 p.m., time slot, and next month Titan Magazines will publish the first of a five-issue mini-series of Space comics.
Both the show and the comics are recycled from their U.S. releases, which didn't fare particularly well. While the television series developed a loyal following in the states, it never achieved high ratings and was canceled by Fox.
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orget the Prime Directive...copyright and trademark violations have become the big worry for the thousands of Star Trek fans who operate Web sites dedicated to their favorite show. In December, Viacom Inc. -- the parent company of Paramount -- continued to go after Web sites such as 
