Peterson Corporation wanted to run an ad campaign that featured popular songs sung by the original singer. The aim was to make an emotional connection with people who remembered the songs. When Bette was approached to sing for the commercial, she refused saying she did not “do” commercials. Peterson Corporation still wanted to use the song, so they hired a backup singer for Bette and she was told to “sound as much as possible like the Bette record”. The backup singer did the commercial, and people, even close acquaintances of Bette, thought it was her. Bette sued Peterson Corporation for wrongfully appropriating her likeness.
Is it wrong to intentionally imitate a well known voice to advertise merchandise without the person’s permission?