‘Landman’ Lawsuit: Paramount Sued for Copyright Infringement

Paramount is being sued for copyright infringement, as the estate of late newsman Paul Harvey says Landman twisted his message to fit their purposes.

A new lawsuit alleges that not only did the show use a substantial portion of a 2008 radio segment called "Gas Crisis" without permission, it "deliberately edits and presents portions of Mr. Harvey’s recording out of context to support the show’s pro-oil industry themes."

• Season 1 of Landman on Paramount+ stars Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm, Ali Larter and more.
• The critically-acclaimed show is another from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan. Season 2 is confirmed and filming.
• The clip in question comes during the opening moments of Ep. 10, "The Crumbs of Hope." This was the season finale.

A link to the full episode of Harvey's The Rest of the Story segment was provided in the lawsuit. He uses newspaper headlines to forward warnings of an over-dependance on oil and criticizes government's role in production, price-setting and more. At the very end comes an enlightening twist that longtime listeners will surely recognize.

The lawsuit begins with Harvey's bonafides: Paul Harvey News and Comment ran for 57 years, until 2008 (he died in 2009). At his peak, he had an audience of 24 million people on 1,200 radio stations. In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.

Harvey and his wife Lynne formed Paulynne Inc. (the plaintiff) around their business, and along with their son, wrote and recorded The Rest of the Story starting in 1976. The episode in question came during the height of American gas prices, when people were paying over $5 a gallon in some areas.

The lawsuit notes that that others have paid significant licensing fees to use portions of Paul Harvey broadcasts, the most famous being a Super Bowl commercial for Dodge Ram trucks in 2013.

Lawyers for Harvey's estate say they attempted to reach Paramount on multiple occasions to no response and now want Harvey's voice removed from the episode. They are also seeking monetary damages to be decided by a jury in federal court.