Writer sues Taylor Sheridan, Paramount and NBCUniversal over alleged Yellowstone plagiarism
TV writer Lauren J. Salkin has filed a copyright lawsuit claiming her 10-year-old series concept was used without permission in the Paramount Network series Yellowstone.
A federal lawsuit filed Friday in the Central District of California accuses screenwriter Lauren J. Salkin of having his idea for a series titled Sovereign Nation appropriated for the hit show Yellowstone. Salkin says she submitted a pilot script, show bible and pitch deck to Sheridan’s management firm, Elevate Entertainment, in late 2016 and early 2017. The complaint notes that Elevate responded on Feb. 1, 2017, indicating Sheridan was unavailable for TV projects, and that Paramount later green-lit Yellowstone, which debuted on June 20, 2018.
According to the filing, Sovereign Nation centered on tribal governance, a casino-driven economy and a land-development conflict, elements that Salkin alleges also appear in Yellowstone. Specific similarities cited include a tribal casino serving as a political hub, a confrontation in the casino’s chairman’s office over reservation expansion, and the use of trust land and a 99-year lease as plot devices. The complaint also claims the series incorporated several of Salkin’s suggested casting choices.
"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 suit states, emphasizing that the alleged infringement involves the copying of particular expressive choices.
Salkin seeks monetary damages, a share of profits tied to the alleged infringement, and an injunction to prevent further use of the disputed material. Her attorney, Paul B. Lackey, described the case as a "classic David-versus-Goliath situation" and said they will pursue all available remedies.