Johnny Cash's Estate Files Lawsuit Against Coca-Cola Over Ad Using Tribute Singer's Voice
The late country singer's estate has filed a federal lawsuit against Coca-Cola, alleging that the company hired a tribute singer to imitate Johnny Cash's voice without permission for a college football ad. The suit claims that the voice in the commercial sounds remarkably like Cash's and is being used by a professional tribute performer named Shawn Barker.
The John R. Cash Revocable Trust, which manages the estate, cites a song in the commercial as evidence of the unauthorized use of Cash's voice. According to the lawsuit, Coca-Cola never obtained a license from the trust before using the voice in their ad, which has been airing since August during college football games.
"This case arises from Coca-Cola's pirating Johnny Cash's voice in a nationwide advertising campaign to enrich itself — without asking for permission or providing any compensation to the humble man and artist who created the goodwill from which Coca-Cola now profits," the complaint reads.
The lawsuit is filed under Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, also known as the ELVIS Act, which expanded the state's statutory right of publicity to protect a person's voice from exploitation. The estate is seeking a court injunction that would remove the ad from airing alongside financial damages over alleged violations of Cash's rights.
The use of a tribute singer's voice without permission raises concerns about artistic integrity and identity. "Stealing the voice of an artist is theft," said Tim Warnock, a lawyer for the Cash estate. "It is theft of his integrity, identity and humanity."
Coca-Cola has yet to comment on the lawsuit, but the case marks one of the first major uses of the ELVIS Act to protect artists against unauthorized use of their voices. The legislation was intended to prevent exploitation through artificial intelligence deepfakes and voice clones, but this case does not allege such technology was used in the commercial.
The late country singer's estate has filed a federal lawsuit against Coca-Cola, alleging that the company hired a tribute singer to imitate Johnny Cash's voice without permission for a college football ad. The suit claims that the voice in the commercial sounds remarkably like Cash's and is being used by a professional tribute performer named Shawn Barker.
The John R. Cash Revocable Trust, which manages the estate, cites a song in the commercial as evidence of the unauthorized use of Cash's voice. According to the lawsuit, Coca-Cola never obtained a license from the trust before using the voice in their ad, which has been airing since August during college football games.
"This case arises from Coca-Cola's pirating Johnny Cash's voice in a nationwide advertising campaign to enrich itself — without asking for permission or providing any compensation to the humble man and artist who created the goodwill from which Coca-Cola now profits," the complaint reads.
The lawsuit is filed under Tennessee's Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, also known as the ELVIS Act, which expanded the state's statutory right of publicity to protect a person's voice from exploitation. The estate is seeking a court injunction that would remove the ad from airing alongside financial damages over alleged violations of Cash's rights.
The use of a tribute singer's voice without permission raises concerns about artistic integrity and identity. "Stealing the voice of an artist is theft," said Tim Warnock, a lawyer for the Cash estate. "It is theft of his integrity, identity and humanity."
Coca-Cola has yet to comment on the lawsuit, but the case marks one of the first major uses of the ELVIS Act to protect artists against unauthorized use of their voices. The legislation was intended to prevent exploitation through artificial intelligence deepfakes and voice clones, but this case does not allege such technology was used in the commercial.
, can u imagine if they used a voice modulator or something 
? At least they're using a real tribute singer's voice, that's kinda cool, I guess 
. But seriously, it's like, what's up with the lack of respect for Johnny Cash's legacy and intellectual property? 
The estate is fighting for his rights, and I think they should win this case for sure 
! It's about time we saw some justice in the music industry 
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. its not like shawn barker is just some random dude who happens to sound like johnny cash (he's actually a pretty good impersonator, btw) 
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. its all about respectin' the artist and the music 
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!! i mean i get it tribute singers etc are all well and good but you gotta respect the original artist's work & legacy especially when they're using someone elses voice to sell products lol who knows how much cash coca cola is making from that ad anyway i feel bad for shawn barker tho whoever he is, getting sued outta sight 
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. I mean, if you're going to use someone else's voice, shouldn't you at least have their permission or some kind of clear understanding with them? It's just not right to exploit an artist's legacy like this.
. One thing's for sure, though: it'll be interesting to see how this case plays out and what kind of precedent it sets for the music industry 
That's so sad to hear about Johnny Cash's estate going through this. It's like they're trying to steal a part of his legacy without asking permission or even giving credit! 
The fact that they're using a tribute singer's voice without permission is just not right. It's like, what's next? Are they gonna use someone else's voice for their ads too? 