Waits Wins Big In Car Ad Copyright Case.... Singer/songwriter Tom Waits has settled his lawsuit against a German carmaker and plans to donate his legal windfall to charity.The Downtown Train singer sued Adam Opel AG and the firm's advertising agency McCann Erickson Deutschland for using a soundalike in a series of European TV commercials.The two companies agreed to pay up but full details of the settlement have not been disclosed. Waits was initially seeking an injunction and at least $300,000 (£154,000) in damages.He claimed the two companies had hired an impersonator to replicate his distinctive singing style for the ads, and sued for breach of private rights and copyright infringement.In the statement released yesterday (25Jan07), Waits wrote, "I'm glad to be out of the car sales business once and for all."It isn't the first time Waits has sued to protect his image, sound and copyright - he won similar cases against Spanish company Tandem Campmany Guasch in 2004 and US food company Frito-Lay in 1992, after bosses used his vocal style in an ad campaign to promote crisps.