The voice of the opera singer and its protection: Another look at the Maria Callas case

Abstract

It is undeniable the identifying potential every human voice exhibits, especially concerning certain public figures and professionals, as occurs with renowned opera singers. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the protection granted to the voice, and its possible incardination within the personality rights, on the basis of the judgment in the case of the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris of 19 March 1982, in which the heirs of the internationally celebrated singer Maria Callas filed a claim for damages against the capture and reproduction of the singer’s voice without their consent.