Midler v. Ford Motor Co.

Midler v. Ford Motor Co. is a 1988 legal case where singer Bette Midler sued Ford for using a sound-alike voice in an ad without her permission. The court ruled that capturing Midler’s distinctive voice—her “public personality”—without her consent violated her rights. The case emphasized that the commercial use of a person’s unique vocal identity can infringe on their rights of publicity. Essentially, it established that mimicking a celebrity's recognizable traits for advertising purposes without authorization is legally wrong.