JPH> We do *not* have to get permission to use these names in *ordinary
JPH> conversations*.
SA>I thought as much, but I just wanted to be sure.  I didn't want to bring
SA>the Wrath of The Suits upon us for simply using KIRK(!) or PICARD(!) or
SA>SISKO(!) or JANEWAY(!) in any of our conversations.  :>
SA>Steve
SA>* Talk is cheap, until you hire a lawyer.
  There are "Fair Use" protections in using copywrited names in
  conversation or news storys.  I just yesterday finished a book by
  Spider Robinson in which he specifies that one of his characters is
  reminicsent of "Captain Picard".  He could say this inside his own
  books because his characters supposedly live in the real world where
  Paramount shows them a TV show called Star Trek.  He could speak of
  Star Trek as a TV show in the back ground.
  In my case, THE UNIVERSE: TREK represents an old semi-violation.  We
  use things like *The Federation* or *Starfleet* which are Paramounts
  intellectual property.  But we are a non-profit outfit promoting
  interest in their property, and I think where it cuts is if we would
  be using thier property for our own profit.
  This has been done for years and Paramount has never sued a fanzine
  that I am aware of.
  Oddly It would be easily possible to do a simple find and replace
  to elimiate all the risky things.  1940's and 1950's space opera
  stories held many of the elements that later came into general use.
  Hyperspace is too generic to copyright, I believe.  So is ray-gun,
  energy weapon or blaster. "Forbiden Planet" gave us the United Planets
  and even the Space Service that issued orders to cruiser c-57d.
  I even began a list of substitutions, but it simply didn't seem the
  same...
Jay P. Hailey 
Chief Editor
THE UNIVERSE: TREK
 * OLX 2.1 TD * "But to what end.  Hold." - Picard
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