The Ninth Circuit held that deliberately imitating a widely known singer's distinctive voice to sell a product is a California tort — even though a voice itself is not copyrightable.
A Southern District of New York court held that imitating an actress's famous voice — without using her name or likeness — was not unfair competition, defamation, or a Lanham Act violation.
The Ninth Circuit held that Nancy Sinatra could not stop a tire company from using sound-alike singers on a song it had lawfully licensed — because federal copyright policy preempted her state passing-off claim.
Long before the right of publicity protected a voice, the First Circuit held that imitating a famous comedian's distinctive vocal style to sell a product could state a claim for unfair competition.
