Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to register her voice as a trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) as a measure to counter artificial intelligence–generated deepfakes. The EUIPO database shows the application dated October 5, 2024; the prime minister's office has confirmed the filing.
The submission includes a four-second audio clip in which Meloni repeats the Italian phrase Io sono Giorgia Meloni ("I am Giorgia Meloni") twice. That line is well known in Italian political life: she first used it at a 2019 campaign rally, later titled her 2021 autobiography the same way, and the phrase has appeared in popular culture adaptations.
In recent years Meloni has repeatedly faced manipulated material circulating online about her, including at least one image purportedly showing her in underwear on a bed. She has regularly spoken out against such forgeries and urged users to verify shared content. Meloni has also said that while she can protect herself, many others are vulnerable to these kinds of attacks.
The EUIPO is currently examining the trademark request. Italian media report that approval of the trademark alone would not by itself prevent illegal uses of Meloni's voice in deepfake content, but it would provide additional legal avenues to pursue those who imitate or replicate her voice.
In 2024 Meloni filed a civil lawsuit against a man from Sardinia accused of creating and distributing deepfake pornographic images that used her face; that court case is ongoing in Italy.
The Reuters news agency reported the details of the filing and related legal steps. An AI assistant contributed to preparing this article; the final text was edited and verified by our journalist.
