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Johnny Cash’s Estate Slaps Coca-Cola With Lawsuit Over Tribute Act Ad

“Stealing the voice of an artist is theft,” a lawyer for Cash’s estate wrote.

The estate of Johnny Cash is suing Coca-Cola over its use of the singer-songwriter’s voice by an impersonator in an advertisement. The complaint was filed on Tuesday in Nashville and is the first use of Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, which protects a person’s voice, image, or likeness from being used without authorization. The advertisement has been airing since August during college football games and features professional Cash impersonator Shawn Barker. The manager of Cash’s estate claimed that the voice sounds “remarkably” like the late singer, who died in 2003. “This case arises from Coca-Cola’s pirating Johnny Cash’s voice in a nationwide advertising campaign to enrich itself,” says the complaint. The estate licenses Cash’s songs but claims that Coca-Cola never asked for permission. The Daily Beast has reached out to the Coca-Cola Company for comment, but received no immediate response. “Stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity, and humanity,” wrote Tim Warnock of Loeb & Loeb, a lawyer for Cash’s estate. Meanwhile, a representative for Barker told Billboard that the impersonator was “thrilled” when he was approached to do the vocals for the commercial.