Johnny Cash’s estate has launched legal action against Coca-Cola, accusing the company of unlawfully imitating the late country icon’s voice in a recent advertisement.
The complaint was filed in Nashville on Tuesday (25.11.25) under Tennessee’s newly enacted ELVIS Act, marking the first high-profile case brought under the legislation.
Introduced last year, the act safeguards artists’ voices from unauthorised commercial use. The Cash estate argues that a Coca-Cola jingle aired during college football broadcasts since August features vocals that sound “strikingly” like Cash, performed by tribute artist Shawn Barker.
While the estate has previously licensed Cash’s music for advertising — including Ragged Old Flag and Personal Jesus during Super Bowl telecasts — they claim Coca-Cola bypassed the proper channels this time.
As reported by Billboard, attorney Tim Warnock, representing the estate, stated: “Stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity and humanity. The trust brings this lawsuit to protect the voice of Johnny Cash — and to send a message that protects the voice of all of the artists whose music enriches our lives.”
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to pull the ad from circulation, alongside financial damages for alleged violations of Cash’s publicity rights, federal false endorsement laws, and Tennessee’s consumer protection statute.
Coca-Cola has yet to respond publicly to the claims.
Barker himself is not named in the suit, though his management expressed enthusiasm about his involvement in the campaign. Manager Joey Waterman said Barker was “thrilled” to contribute, noting that the singer has toured globally for more than two decades with his tribute show The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash.
