Italy’s Meloni Seeks Trademark Protection for Her Voice Against AI Deepfakes

Summary

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to trademark her voice with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, and her office confirmed the filing. As part of the application, she recorded a four-second clip saying “Io sono Giorgia” twice, a phrase associated with her 2021 autobiography and political campaigns. The filing comes before Italy’s general election next year and follows Meloni’s previous efforts to respond to deepfake abuse, including a €100,000 damages claim over deepfake pornography. She also warned this year that AI-generated images of her in lingerie could deceive and manipulate people, while noting that many victims have fewer resources to defend themselves. Voice clones are made by training AI on recordings of real people; basic versions can be produced from a few seconds of audio, although higher-quality copies generally require hours of recordings. Meloni’s move follows similar trademark actions by Matthew McConaughey and Taylor Swift. More than 80 performers have also called for UK legislation establishing a legal right to own one’s voice.