Key facts
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to trademark her voice.
- The application was made to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
- Meloni recorded a four-second audio clip saying "Io sono Giorgia" for the trademark.
- US actor Matthew McConaughey and singer Taylor Swift have also trademarked their likeness.
- Meloni sought €100,000 in damages over deepfake porn videos of her.
- Meloni warned that deepfakes are a dangerous tool that can deceive and manipulate.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to trademark her voice with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to protect against the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) for deepfakes. The application, filed on Monday, includes a four-second audio clip of Meloni saying "Io sono Giorgia" – "I am Giorgia Meloni" – twice.
Meloni's move aligns with a growing trend of public figures seeking to safeguard their identity from AI. In January, US actor Matthew McConaughey trademarked his image and voice, followed by singer Taylor Swift in April with three US trademark applications. In August, over 80 performers, including Matt Lucas, Hugh Bonneville, and Nicola Coughlan, urged British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce legislation granting individuals a legal right to own their voice.
Voice cloning technology uses AI trained on recordings of real people, with quick versions possible from just a few seconds of audio. Meloni's decision comes ahead of Italy's general elections next year. The phrase "Io sono Giorgia" is closely associated with her political campaigns and was the title of her 2021 autobiography.
This action follows a €100,000 damages claim Meloni sought in 2024 after deepfake pornography featuring her likeness was uploaded online. In May, she publicly warned about the dangers of deepfakes, noting that while she could defend herself, "Many others cannot."