Writer sues Taylor Sheridan, Paramount and NBCUniversal over alleged Yellowstone copyright infringement
Virginia writer Lauren J. Salkin alleges her 2016 pitch "Sovereign Nation" was used as the basis for the TV series Yellowstone and seeks an injunction and damages.
A Virginia-based writer has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in California against screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, Paramount and NBCUniversal, claiming the 2018 series Yellowstone was derived from her 2016 pitch titled "Sovereign Nation."
Salkin, an entertainment journalist and television writer, says she submitted a pilot script and related materials to Sheridan’s production company in 2016 and 2017. The filing notes a response from Elevate Entertainment indicating Sheridan was unavailable for TV projects at the time.
According to the complaint, Paramount later approved Yellowstone, which premiered on the Paramount Network in June 2018. Salkin argues that the series shares specific plot elements and character concepts with her pitch, including a tribal casino as a political hub, a confrontation in the casino’s office over land expansion, and a 99-year lease mechanism. She also points to casting suggestions she made—actors Danny Huston and Gil Birmingham—that later appeared in the show.
"Copyright law does not protect the abstract idea of a Western, a land dispute, an Indian casino, or a powerful family — and that is not Plaintiff’s claim," the filing states, adding that the alleged infringement concerns the particular expressive choices she alleges were copied.
Salkin seeks a court injunction to stop further use of her material and unspecified damages, including profits from the Yellowstone franchise, and has requested a jury trial. Representatives for Sheridan, NBCUniversal and Paramount have not responded to requests for comment. Co-defendants include John Linson, Art Linson, Bosque Ranch Productions, Linson Entertainment and 101 Studios.