In 1992, a jury awarded the singer Tom Waits the equivalent of $6 million in today’s dollars because Frito-Lay used a voice-alike in its Doritos ad and misappropriated his right to publicity. Bette Midler, Shirley Booth, and Bert Lahr also sued advertisers who used their voice-alikes in ads.
The reason for the lawsuits is that a distinctive voice is a recognizable component of a person’s identity, and the use of a person’s identity without consent to sell goods violates their right of publicity. With new technology, there will be many new incidents.