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

• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni applied to the EU Intellectual Property Office to trademark her voice to protect against AI-generated deepfakes.
• Her application includes a four-second audio of her saying "I am Giorgia," referencing her autobiography and political slogan.
• Meloni faces ongoing deepfake abuses, has taken legal action, but the trademark may only add legal hurdles, not fully prevent misuse.

ROME - 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 Oct 5.

Her application, dated Oct 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 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, the application 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. REUTERS