The estate of Johnny Cash is taking Coca-Cola to court, claiming that the global soft drink company used the legendary musician’s voice in an advertising campaign without permission.
A lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Tennessee, states that Cash “has one of the most legendary and distinctive voices in the history of music” and that the company used a pirated version of it in a “nationwide advertising campaign to enrich itself.”
It did so “without asking for permission or providing any compensation to the humble man and artist who created the goodwill from which Coca-Cola now profits,” according to the suit, obtained by The Independent.
“Stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity, and humanity.”
The lawsuit centers around an advert campaign by Coca-Cola earlier this year called “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work” – put out for the 2025 NCAA college football season.
The commercial showed fans drinking Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar while a recording of a male singer that sounds “remarkably like the Voice of Johnny Cash” played, the lawsuit states.
The estate claims that the company hired a Johnny Cash tribute singer through an advertising agency to record the vocal track for the commercial.
According to the lawsuit, the tribute singer later claimed in a social media post that the advert was meant to “draw upon the goodwill associated with the Voice of Johnny Cash.”
Cash is one of the most iconic and accomplished recording artists in the history of popular music, and is known for hits including Ring of Fire, Hurt, and I Walk The Line.
He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide and has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Cash’s estate, referred to in the suit as “The Trust,” owns all right, title, and interest in and to his name, image, likeness, and voice.
Since Johnny Cash’s death, the Trust has continuously engaged in the commercial exploitation of his rights of publicity, including his voice (the “Voice”), the lawsuit states.
“In fact, his Voice is so unique and valuable that the Trust has been able to secure licenses specifically for the use of his Voice.”
In the suit, the estate points out that Coca-Cola “knows that it needs a license to exploit, for commercial advertising purposes, the name, image, likeness, and voice of artists and musicians,” having entered into multiple such agreements in the past.
The lawsuit cites the recent enactment by the Tennessee General Assembly of the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act, known as the “ELVIS Act,” which expressly protects against the unauthorized commercial use of one’s “voice.”
It notes that Cash’s “distinctive baritone voice” has only been licensed on two occasions, both for Super Bowl advertisements, since he died in 2003.
The Independent has contacted Cash’s estate and Coca-Cola for comment on the lawsuit.
