Taylor Sheridan sued one of the main actors on “Yellowstone” over trademark infringement, so it’s safe to say that he’s dealt with his fair share of legal drama. However, the prolific creator might have landed Paramount in a spot of bother thanks to his oil drama “Landman,” as an audio clip featured in the season 1 finale is alleged to have been used without permission.
The episode at the heart of the drama, “The Crumbs of Hope,” contains a 90-second clip of the late real-life radio broadcaster Paul Harvey discussing oil prices on his “The Rest of the Story” show. The original segment, which can be found in the 2008 episode titled “Gas Crisis,” argues that rising oil costs are the result of greedy governments and corporations. However, Harvey’s estate, Paulynne, claims that “Landman” edits the clip to defend the oil industry while infringing on copyrighted material. Here’s what Paulynne’s attorney, Jaime Wolf, had to say on the matter (per The Wrap):
“In the world of audio licensing, 90 seconds is an eternity. Paramount not only grabbed a long, copyrighted audio clip without our client’s permission, but they also twisted the intent of Mr. Harvey’s words by editing his original broadcast.”
With the lawsuit, Paulynne is looking to have the clip removed from the episode. Not only that, but the estate also doesn’t want “Gas Crisis” recordings to be used in any future episodes, and it is seeking some financial compensation to make up for Paramount profiting from the clip. As of this writing, no representatives from Paramount have commented on the lawsuit publicly and neither has Sheridan (who is probably too busy focusing on “Landman” season 2 and other projects).
