Meloni Applies to Register Her Voice as Trademark with EU to Combat AI Deepfakes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, 49, has applied to the European Union to register her voice as a trademark.

The move is a measure to combat deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

According to Reuters, the website of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) showed that Prime Minister Meloni filed a trademark application for her voice dated October 5.

The Italian Prime Minister's Office also confirmed this fact.

The application includes a 4-second voice recording of Prime Minister Meloni personally repeating twice the Italian phrase "Io sono Giorgia," which means "I am Giorgia."

Originating from a declaration Meloni made at a 2019 political rally, the phrase is also the title of her autobiography published in 2021.

Disco music borrowing the phrase has even been created in Italy.

Prime Minister Meloni, who has been leading Italy's right-wing coalition government for a full four years since taking office in October 2022 to write a record as one of Italy's longest-serving governments, has suffered in recent years from the repeated online circulation of sexually explicit manipulated images.

This past spring, manipulated images spread showing her sitting on a bed in revealing underwear.

Prime Minister Meloni has condemned such images as attempts to spread false information and attack specific individuals, urging users to verify authenticity before sharing content.

She has also pointed out that while she can defend herself, many others cannot.

Italian media anticipated that even if the application is approved by the EUIPO, it alone may not prevent the use of Prime Minister Meloni's voice in AI deepfakes, but it could serve as an additional legal barrier against those attempting to clone her voice.

Meanwhile, in 2024, Prime Minister Meloni filed a 100,000 euro (approx. 150 million won) damages lawsuit against a father and son who produced and distributed deepfake pornographic videos synthesizing her face.

The case is currently on trial in an Italian court.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.