Italy's Meloni seeks EU trademark for her voice to counter deepfakes
In short
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has filed an application with the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register her voice as a trademark, according to Kommersant and TASS. Kommersant, citing La Repubblica, reported that the aim is to prevent misuse of her voice by AI tools and deepfakes, and that the application is still under examination. Meloni has not commented on the filing.
Why it matters
The filing tests whether existing EU trademark rules can be used against voice cloning and deepfakes, a route other public figures in the bloc could copy. Because an EU-wide registration would let the holder sue in any member state, the outcome could shape how AI-generated voice content is treated commercially and legally across Europe. The documents give no indication of how EUIPO will decide.
Key facts
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has filed an application with the EU Intellectual Property Office to register her voice as a trademark. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The application is listed on the EUIPO website as being under examination, Kommersant reported. [ 1 ]
- According to La Repubblica, cited by Kommersant, Meloni submitted a four-second recording in which she says “I am Giorgia Meloni” twice. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reported that the purpose of the registration is to prevent unlawful use of her voice by AI tools and deepfakes. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Under EU law, once registered, unlawful use of the voice would be treated as copyright infringement and the holder could sue in any EU country, Kommersant reported. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reported that in some European countries creating viral videos or clips with words that were not spoken can be a criminal offence, and in Italy the most serious cases can carry a prison sentence. [ 1 ]
- The registration protects specific registered elements, in this case the spoken phrases, not any synthetic reproduction, and similarity to the recording does not by itself ban all AI-generated material, according to Kommersant. [ 1 ]
- Meloni has not commented on the situation, Kommersant reported. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether EUIPO has accepted or rejected the application, and when a decision is expected. Kommersant says only that the application is at the examination stage; no decision or timetable is given.
- The exact date on which the application was filed. Neither document gives a filing date.
- The precise scope of protection the registration would grant against AI-generated voice content. This is described only by Kommersant, which says protection covers the registered elements rather than any synthetic reproduction; no second outlet covers this.
- The four-second recording and the phrase it contains. Single-source: Kommersant attributes this detail to La Repubblica, and TASS does not mention it.
- Meloni's own position on the filing. Kommersant says she has not commented; no statement from her office appears in the documents.