• by Sara Guaglione , July 11, 2017

Science and sci-fi magazine Omni is returning to its former parent company, Penthouse Global Media, and will relaunch a print edition in late October.

Penthouse and Omni were owned by the late Bob Guccione and created in the 1960s and 1970s. Omni was a project developed by Guccione and his wife Kathy Keeton. It was in print for decades, and then went digital-only in 1996. Omni was shuttered in 1998, when Keeton passed away.

Omni’s October issue will focus on “addressing the cultural yearning for science and innovation during a time of political uncertainty,” according to a statement.

"As Penthouse Global Media enters its second year under new ownership, our driving principle is to put all of the pieces of the brand back together again. As a result of decades of neglect, much of this company's brilliant legacy was lost … until now," stated Penthouse CEO Kelly Holland.

In February 2016, Penthouse Global Media, a new company headed by Holland, acquired the Penthouse brand from FriendFinder Networks.

Holland said the acquisition of Omni was “thanks in large part” to longtime Omni top editor Pamela Weintraub, “who had the foresight to bring the brand back to life by re-registering the trademarks and launching a digital site.”

In its heyday, the magazine was best known for its Q&As with thought leaders, such as Candace Pert and theoretical physicists Freeman Dyson and Richard Feynman, as well as its long-form pieces on the sciences, fiction and futuristic art.

Penthouse Global Media is known for its adult entertainment and lifestyle title Penthouse.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Penthouse Global Media is suing Jerrick Media for reportedly producing original content using the trademarks without permission, such as a magazine called Omni Reboot and websiteOmni Media.

In a complaint filed Thursday, Penthouse attorney Caroline Mankey wrote:

"Despite knowing of the existence of the registered Omni Marks, and despite being denied registration of Omni Reboot, Defendants nonetheless proceeded to willfully and blatantly infringe on the Omni Marks by operating an online magazine at https://omni.media, which it refers to as Omni Reboot, that not only uses the Omni Marks in connection with the publication of an online magazine featuring science and science fiction topics, but also contains archival material from the original Omni magazine, including magazine articles and reproductions of Omni magazine covers, all without the permission or consent of Penthouse.”