The Johnny Cash estate alleges the company used a sound-alike singer, bypassing the need for a license.
The hallowed voice of Johnny Cash is at the centre of a landmark legal battle, as his estate sues Coca-Cola for allegedly using a sound-alike singer in a national ad campaign.
The lawsuit, filed in Nashville, claims the beverage giant hired a Johnny Cash tribute performer to mimic the Man in Black’s iconic baritone for a college football commercial, deliberately creating a voice “readily identifiable and attributable to Johnny Cash” without seeking permission.
This case represents one of the first major tests of Tennessee’s pioneering ELVIS Act, which protects the voice and likeness of individuals, even after death.
The Cash estate asserts that Coca-Cola, a company with a long history of celebrity endorsements, knowingly bypassed licensing protocols to capitalise on the legend’s enduring appeal.
The lawsuit seeks damages and an injunction, signalling a new front in the fight for artistic rights in the age of AI and digital impersonation.
