A writer has filed a federal lawsuit accusing "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan, Paramount and NBCUniversal of lifting the hit show's core concept from a pilot she pitched — and was rejected for — years before the series premiered.

Entertainment journalist and TV writer Lauren J. Salkin filed the copyright infringement suit Friday, Aug. 21, in federal court in California, according to TMZ. Salkin alleges she submitted a pilot script and additional materials for a project titled "Sovereign Nation" to Sheridan's production company, Elevate Entertainment, in 2016 and again in 2017.

A Rejection Letter, Then a Familiar Show

According to the lawsuit, Salkin received a reply confirming her pitch had been reviewed and passed on. Within months of that rejection, Paramount greenlit "Yellowstone," which went on to premiere in June 2018 and became one of television's biggest hits, spawning multiple spinoffs and turning Sheridan into one of Hollywood's most powerful showrunners.

TAYLOR THANKS YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST. UNFORTUNATELY, HE'S UNAVAILABLE FOR TV PROJECTS.

That's the rejection line Salkin says she received from Elevate Entertainment, according to both TMZ and FictionHorizon. Her suit alleges character-by-character parallels between her original pitch and "Yellowstone," along with matching plotlines centered on land wars and development disputes, and an overall tone she says mirrors her original concept. The suit seeks an injunction and unspecified damages, including a share of "Yellowstone" profits.

Neither Sheridan, Paramount nor NBCUniversal has publicly responded to the lawsuit as of publication. This isn't the first time intellectual-property friction has trailed the "Yellowstone" universe — Sheridan and actor Cole Hauser were entangled in an unrelated trademark dispute over Sheridan's Bosque Ranch brand in 2023 that was dropped within a month, though that case involved different claims entirely.

What's Next

The case is in its earliest stages, with no response yet filed by the defendants. "Yellowstone," which ended its original run and has spun off into a growing franchise including "1883," "1923" and other prequels, remains one of Paramount's most valuable properties — raising the stakes considerably if Salkin's copyright claims advance in court.