TELEVISION - Oct. 7, 1991

Have Lawsuit, Will Win: A federal judge in Providence, R.I., effectively blocked Viacom International from distributing reruns of the Western series “Have Gun, Will Travel,” ending a decades-old fight by the creator of the series’ main character. A federal jury last month found that Viacom deliberately infringed the trademark of Victor DeCosta, 83, by broadcasting the series based on Paladin, the mustached persona he created for the rodeo, without DeCosta’s consent. Viacom can no longer air the series unless the character Paladin’s business card, chess knight logo and slogan--”Have Gun, Will Travel”--are eliminated.