IT之家 10/6 news: According to Reuters, public records show that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has submitted an application to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), seeking to register her voice as a trademark in order to guard against AI-generated deepfake content.
The application on the EUIPO website is dated 10/5, and Meloni's office has also confirmed the application. The application materials include a 4-second audio recording, in which she repeats twice in Italian: "I am Giorgia Meloni."
"Io sono Giorgia (I am Giorgia)" is also the title of her 2021 autobiography. The phrase comes from Meloni's famous speech at a political rally in 2019, and it has even been adapted into a disco dance song.
In recent years, manipulated images of Meloni have circulated online multiple times, with some netizens forwarding them as real content. Among them was a fake image showing her sitting on a bed in underwear.
IT之家 notes that Meloni has publicly condemned such fake content, saying its purpose is to spread disinformation and launch attacks against individuals; she called on netizens to always verify authenticity before sharing online content. She has also said that she is still able to defend her own rights, but many ordinary people cannot do so.
The trademark application submitted to the EUIPO is currently under review.
Italian media report that even if the voice trademark application is ultimately approved, this trademark right alone still cannot completely stop others from using her voice to create AI deepfake audio. However, it can add more legal obstacles for counterfeiters attempting to replicate her voice.
As early as 2024, Meloni filed a civil lawsuit against a man from Sardinia, accusing him of using her face to generate and publish deepfake pornographic images online. That case is still being heard in Italian courts.