Italy PM Meloni seeks EU trademark for her voice amid AI deepfake risks

ROME, Oct 5 : Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to trademark her voice in a new move to protect herself against AI-generated deepfakes, records showed on Monday.

Her application, dated October 5 on the EUIPO website and confirmed by her office, includes a four-second audio recording of herself twice repeating the phrase, in Italian, "I am Giorgia Meloni."

"Io sono Giorgia" ("I am Giorgia") was the title of her 2021 autobiography that echoed a famous declaration Meloni made at a political rally in 2019 and which was even turned into a disco track.

Manipulated images of Meloni have repeatedly circulated online in recent years and have at times been shared as authentic, including one depicting her sitting on a bed in her underwear.

Meloni has denounced such material as part of efforts to spread falsehoods and target individuals, urging users to verify content before sharing it online. She has said that while she is able to defend herself, many others are not.

The EUIPO application is still under examination. 

Italian media have reported that even if approved, it would not by itself prevent the use of her voice in AI-generated deepfakes, though it could create additional legal obstacles for those seeking to replicate it.

In 2024, Meloni launched a civil action against a man from Sardinia accused of creating and posting online deepfake pornographic images using her face. The case remains pending before an Italian court.