The Johnny Cash Estate is suing Coca-Cola for the Alleged Use of Voice Likeness

During the commercial breaks of recent college football games, you might have noticed a mimicked Johnny Cash voice slipped into one of Coca-Cola’s recent ads. The Johnny Cash estate is suing the company due to the unauthorized use of likeness, which is now securely protected under several recently passed state and federal initiatives used to combat unfair AI usages.

The ad features college football patrons and fans enjoying the game from various locations, sipping on the classic beverage. In the background of their enjoyment, a bold voice can be heard with Johnny Cash’s iconic inflection and tone. The man behind the voice is a professional Johnny Cash tribute performer, Shawn Barker, who was chosen for his ability to mimic the man in black.

The Johnny Cash estate is outraged, calling this incident a form of unlawful exploitation and piracy. Tim Warnock, a lawyer for the Cash estate and Loeb & Loeb, is quoted as saying, “stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity, and humanity.” This comes as a recent violation of the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, passed in 2024, which prohibits unauthorized use of the following.

Given that the use of the voice is substantially similar to that of the “Folsom Prison Blues” singer, and it was used for commercial purposes, it seems to fall outside of fair use, therefore classifying it as a form of infringement. The Johnny Cash Estate has yet to publicly lay out its intentions moving forward, but legal action seems to be inevitable.

The Coca-Cola company has yet to issue a public statement on the matter. Looks like Willy Lee isn’t the only one with “[Coca-Cola] Blues” now.