Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni submitted an application to the European Union Intellectual Property Office on Monday to trademark her voice as a protective measure against artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes. The application includes a four-second audio recording in which she states her name twice in Italian. The prime minister’s office confirmed the filing.
Meloni is among a growing number of public figures seeking legal protections for their voices and likenesses in response to advancing AI technology. Actor Matthew McConaughey initiated the trend by trademarking his voice and image earlier this year, while singer Taylor Swift filed three separate trademark applications in the United States, including audio clips and performance photographs. Additionally, over 80 British performers recently petitioned Prime Minister Andy Burnham to enact legislation granting UK citizens a legal right to ownership over their own voices, with notable actors such as Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville, and Nicola Coughlan among the signatories.
Voice cloning technology operates by training artificial intelligence systems on audio recordings of individuals. While rough voice imitations can be produced from just a few seconds of audio, creating high-fidelity replicas typically requires significantly more source material. Meloni has previously dealt with unauthorized digital content, having sought €100,000 in damages following the distribution of deepfake pornographic videos featuring her likeness in 2024. More recently, AI-generated images depicting her in compromising situations circulated online, prompting her to issue a public statement highlighting the broader societal dangers of deepfake technology.
The trademark filing comes ahead of Italy’s general elections scheduled for the following year. The specific phrase used in Meloni’s audio submission, “Io sono Giorgia,” carries significance as the title of her 2021 autobiography and remains closely associated with her political messaging and campaign efforts.
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