Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office to trademark her voice, seeking an extra legal tool against AI-generated deepfakes, The Associated Press and Reuters reported Monday.
The application, dated Oct. 5 on the EUIPO website and still under examination, includes a four-second audio recording of Meloni saying, in Italian, “Io sono Giorgia Meloni” (“I am Giorgia Meloni”). Reuters said she repeats the phrase twice on the clip; AP described her as repeating the phrase. The filing was first reported by Italian daily La Repubblica. An Italian official confirmed it to AP on condition of anonymity, and Meloni’s office confirmed it to Reuters.
The recorded line echoes Meloni’s 2019 rally declaration that began “I am Giorgia,” later the title of her 2021 autobiography. According to Wanted in Rome, citing the EUIPO listing, the mark would cover downloadable multimedia content, cultural activities and the organisation of political events.
Italian media have reported that even if approved, the trademark would not by itself stop AI clones of her voice, though it could create additional legal obstacles for anyone who replicates it, Reuters and Wanted in Rome said. Il Sole 24 Ore, cited by Wanted in Rome, said an approved mark could support EU-wide action against infringement, including seeking removal of unlawful material, damages and, under Italian criminal law on trademark counterfeiting, fines or imprisonment.
Manipulated images of Meloni have circulated online for years and have at times been treated as authentic, including a fake picture of her sitting on a bed in underwear, AP and Reuters reported. “I can defend myself, but many others cannot,” she said in May after fake images surfaced, according to AP. In 2024 she filed a civil case against a man from Sardinia accused of posting deepfake pornographic images using her face; that case remains pending.
Celebrities have used similar tools. Matthew McConaughey was among the first major stars to trademark voice clips, AP noted, and Taylor Swift was a prominent deepfake target in 2024 after sexually explicit AI images of her spread online.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/italy-meloni-ai-deepfake-voice-trademark-a3e1e3de8c42f6b81ef9b7a4d9333a23
- https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/italy-pm-meloni-seeks-eu-trademark-for-her-voice-amid-ai-deepfake-risks-20004884.htm
- https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italy-premier-meloni-seeks-trademark-for-her-voice-to-combat-ai-deepfakes-2.html