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

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.