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Six months after the company announced its $36 billion merger with (the original) [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|CBS Corporation]], in March 1999, Viacom applied a contractual clause that would – within a 45-day grace period – force Chris-Craft to either buy Viacom out of UPN, or have the former sell its ownership stake in the network to Viacom. Three days later on February 8, Chris-Craft subsequently filed a lawsuit against Viacom in the [[New York Supreme Court]] to block the latter's merger with CBS, claiming that a pact signed between the two partners in 1997 had prevented either from owning "any interest, financial or otherwise" in "any competing network," including CBS, for a four-year period through January 2001. On March 17, New York Supreme Court judge Herman Cahn ruled against Chris-Craft's move for a permanent [[injunction]] to curtail the Viacom-CBS merger and the enforcement of Viacom's ultimatum.<ref>{{cite news |title = Viacom Makes 2 Offers to BHC on TV Venture |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/04/business/viacom-makes-2-offers-to-bhc-on-tv-venture.html |newspaper = The New York Times |date = February 4, 2000 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171103205351/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/04/business/viacom-makes-2-offers-to-bhc-on-tv-venture.html |archive-date = November 3, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = BHC Sues UPN Partner Viacom over CBS Deal |url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-feb-09-fi-62554-story.html |first = Sallie |last = Hofmeister |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = February 9, 2000 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015095028/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/feb/09/business/fi-62554 |archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Chris-Craft Loses UPN Ruling |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/17/business/chris-craft-loses-upn-ruling.html |newspaper = The New York Times |date = March 17, 2000 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015095032/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/17/business/chris-craft-loses-upn-ruling.html |archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref>
Unable to find a suitable partner, on March 20, Chris-Craft allowed Viacom to buy out its 50% stake for $5 million, giving Viacom full control of the network.<ref>{{cite news |title = Viacom Buys Chris-Craft's Stake in UPN for $5 Million |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/21/business/viacom-buys-chris-craft-s-stake-in-upn-for-5-million.html |first = Bill |last = Carter |newspaper = The New York Times |date = March 21, 2000 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117102355/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/21/business/viacom-buys-chris-craft-s-stake-in-upn-for-5-million.html |archive-date = November 17, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Viacom Wins UPN so Let the Digestion Begin |url = http://www.medialifemagazine.com:8080/news2000/mar00/news20321.html |periodical = [[Media Life Magazine]] |date = March 2000 |access-date = May 4, 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130617235807/http://www.medialifemagazine.com:8080/news2000/mar00/news20321.html |archive-date = June 17, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = UPN Deal Done; Viacom Buys out Chris-Craft Share |url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62239976.html |first1 = Melissa |last1 = Grego |first2 = Joe |last2 = Schlosser |periodical = Broadcasting & Cable |via = HighBeam Research |date = April 10, 2000 |access-date = June 22, 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140611025706/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62239976.html |archive-date = June 11, 2014 }}</ref> This gave UPN the rare distinction of being one of the only broadcast networks to not have had [[owned-and-operated station]]s (O&O) in the three largest media markets, New York City, Los Angeles, and [[Chicago]] (with The WB – the only network that never have had an O&O – being the only other, as minority owner [[Tribune Broadcasting]] owned most of its charter affiliates including those in [[WPIX|all]] [[KTLA|three]] [[WGN-TV|markets]], while majority owner Time Warner only owned [[WPCH-TV|WTBS-TV]], an independent station that originated then-[[superstation]] [[TBS (TV network)|TBS]]). With Viacom taking full ownership control of UPN, KCOP-TV and WWOR-TV lost their statuses as O&Os and automatically became affiliates of the network, with the network's ''[[de facto]]'' owned-and-operated flagship stations becoming [[Philadelphia]] outlet [[WPSG]] (now a [[The CW|CW]] affiliate) and [[San Francisco]] outlet [[
Shortly afterward, Viacom shortened the network's official name from the "United Paramount Network" to the three-letter initialism, "UPN". Viacom also proposed a rebranding of UPN into the "'''Paramount Network'''", using a prototype logo based on Paramount's mountain logo, which served as the basis for the "P" triangle in the network's original logo that was used until September 2002.<ref>{{cite news |title = Media Talk: UPN Will Become Paramount Network |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/31/business/media-talk-upn-will-become-paramount-network.html |first = Jim |last = Rutenberg |newspaper = The New York Times |date = July 31, 2000 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015094613/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/31/business/media-talk-upn-will-become-paramount-network.html |archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = UPN Network Will Carry On Without Its 'U' |url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-26-ca-59125-story.html |first = Greg |last = Braxton |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = July 26, 2000 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015094628/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jul/26/entertainment/ca-59125 |archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = UPN's Name in 2001: Paramount Network |url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-26-fi-59235-story.html |agency = Associated Press |newspaper = Los Angeles Times |date = July 26, 2000 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015095147/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jul/26/business/fi-59235 |archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref> This idea was abandoned after many affiliates protested, citing that the rebranding might confuse viewers and result in ratings declines, alongside the costs of rebranding their stations with a new image and new network (and possible call sign changes). Several years later, cable television network Spike (part of Viacom) re-branded as [[Paramount Network]].
Viacom's purchase of [[CBS]] a few months before (which resulted in the merger of that network's owned-and-operated stations into Viacom's Paramount Stations Group unit), created duopolies between CBS and UPN stations in Philadelphia ([[KYW-TV]] and WPSG), [[Boston]] ([[WBZ-TV]] and [[WSBK-TV]]), [[Miami]] ([[WFOR-TV]] and [[WBFS-TV]]), [[Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth]] ([[KTVT]] and [[KTXA]]), [[Detroit]] ([[WWJ-TV]] and [[WKBD-TV]]), and [[Pittsburgh]] ([[KDKA-TV]] and [[WPKD-TV|WNPA]]). Viacom's purchase of CBS was said to be the "death knell" for the [[Federal Communications Commission]]'s longtime ban on [[Duopoly (broadcasting)|television station duopolies]]. Further transactions added [[San Francisco]] ([[KPIX-TV]] and [[
At the time of UPN's launch, the network's ''[[de jure]]'' [[Flagship (broadcasting)|flagship station]]s were Chris-Craft-owned WWOR-TV in [[Secaucus, New Jersey]] (which serves the New York City market) and KCOP-TV in [[Los Angeles]] (which serves the Los Angeles market). Even after Chris-Craft sold its share in the network to Viacom, WWOR and KCOP were still commonly regarded as the ''de jure'' flagship stations of the network since it had long been common practice for this status to be associated with a network's station in the East Coast and West Coast. For this reason, some doubt was cast on UPN's future after Fox Television Stations bought most of Chris-Craft's television stations for $5.5 billion on August 12, 2000, which included several UPN affiliates (including WWOR and KCOP).<ref>{{cite news |title = Fox in the UPN house |url = https://www.nexttv.com/news/fox-upn-house-87627 |first = Steve |last = McClellan |periodical = [[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date = August 21, 2000 |access-date = May 4, 2013 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112714/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/fox-upn-house/87627 |archive-date = September 24, 2015 }}</ref> Fox later bought the third-largest UPN affiliate, Chicago's WPWR-TV, through a separate deal with [[Newsweb Corporation]] for $450 million in June 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title = Fox Duops in Chicago |url = https://www.nexttv.com/news/fox-duops-chicago-93050 |first = Steve |last = McClellan |periodical = Broadcasting & Cable |date = June 30, 2002 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112703/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/fox-duops-chicago/93050 |archive-date = September 24, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Fox Takeover to Bring Changes to Chicago-Area Television Station |url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-90412674.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924165032/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-90412674.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = September 24, 2015 |first = Kathy |last = Bergen |agency = Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News |via = HighBeam Research |date = August 16, 2002 |access-date = September 2, 2015 }}</ref> Despite the uncertainty of the network's future following the Fox purchases, UPN reached four-year affiliation agreements with Fox Television Stations' nine UPN affiliates on September 24, 2003.<ref>{{cite news |title = Company News: Nine Fox-Owned Stations Will Remain UPN Affiliates |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/25/business/company-news-nine-fox-owned-stations-will-remain-upn-affiliates.html |newspaper = The New York Times |date = September 25, 2003 |access-date = September 2, 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151015094741/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/25/business/company-news-nine-fox-owned-stations-will-remain-upn-affiliates.html |archive-date = October 15, 2015 }}</ref>
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