Meloni files to trademark her voice — why trademark law, against deepfakes?
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register her voice as a trademark. The application, dated October 5, 2026 and confirmed by her office, contains a four-second recording of her saying, in Italian, I am Giorgia Meloni, twice. Meloni has repeatedly been targeted by manipulated images and in 2024 sued a man accused of making pornographic deepfakes of her; that case is still pending. A trademark protects against commercial use of a registered sign, so it will not automatically stop AI voice clones, but it gives her another legal lever. The application is under examination
The three lines
- Filing — October 5, EUIPO; four-second clip of 'Io sono Giorgia Meloni' said twice; confirmed by her office
- Background — years of fake images; a 2024 lawsuit over pornographic deepfakes is still pending
- Limits — trademarks police commercial use; satire and non-commercial fakes are harder to reach
Key questions
- Can you trademark your voice in the EU
- **Sounds can be EU trademarks.** Since an October 2017 reform, marks no longer need a graphic representation and can be filed as audio files. | Item | Detail | |---|---| | Typical sound marks | Jingles, start-up chimes | | Requirement | Must distinguish the source of goods or services | | Meloni filing | Four-second audio of one sentence, twice | | Open question | The recording, not the voice itself, is what is filed |
- Meloni deepfake lawsuit
- **She sued a man from Sardinia in 2024; the case is still before an Italian court.** | When | Event | |---|---| | Recent years | Fake images, including one in underwear, circulated as real | | 2024 | Civil action over pornographic deepfakes | | October 5, 2026 | Voice trademark filed with EUIPO |
- Celebrities who trademarked their voice
- **Actor Matthew McConaughey is cited as the first major star to register voice clips as trademarks.** | Person | Case | |---|---| | Matthew McConaughey | Voice clips registered as marks | | Scarlett Johansson | Objected to an OpenAI voice resembling hers | | Japanese anime voice actor | Court protection in 2026 against an AI clone on TikTok | | Giorgia Meloni | First sitting leader to file |
A sitting head of government is trying to trademark her own voice. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to register her voice as a trademark. The filing, dated October 5, 2026, is a four-second recording of her saying "Io sono Giorgia Meloni" ("I am Giorgia Meloni") twice; her office confirmed it. The goal is protection from AI voice clones and deepfakes — yet the tool she reached for is trademark law, not AI law.
1. What she filed
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Office | EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) |
| Date | October 5, 2026 (per EUIPO website) |
| Filing | Four-second audio, "Io sono Giorgia Meloni" twice |
| Status | Under examination |
| Phrase history | 2019 rally speech; title of her 2021 autobiography; remixed into a disco track |
The phrase is her signature line — and therefore also the one most likely to be imitated. Since a 2017 reform, EU trademarks no longer need a graphic representation, so sounds can be filed as audio.
2. Why a trademark
Manipulated images of Meloni have circulated for years, including a fake of her in underwear passed off as real. In 2024 she sued a man from Sardinia accused of making and posting pornographic deepfakes using her face; the case is still pending. Existing remedies are slow and come after the harm.
| Tool | Protects | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Defamation, image rights | Reputation, likeness | After the fact, slow |
| Copyright | A recording as a work | A voice itself is not a work |
| EU AI Act Article 50 | Duty to label AI output | Does not ban making deepfakes |
| Trademark | Commercial use of a registered sign | Weak against satire, non-commercial use |
A registered mark has clear boundaries: if someone uses a cloned Meloni voice to advertise or sell, infringement is easier to argue than defamation. Italian media noted it will not automatically stop AI imitations but adds a legal tool.
3. Following celebrities
Entertainment got there first. Actor Matthew McConaughey is cited as the first major celebrity to register voice clips as trademarks; Scarlett Johansson publicly objected to an OpenAI voice resembling hers; and in 2026 a Japanese anime voice actor won court protection against an unauthorised AI clone on TikTok. Meloni is the first sitting leader to try.
Politicians' voices matter most at election time: a few seconds of audio is enough to clone a voice (see "What voice cloning is"), and one fake clip before a vote can do damage. But trademark law exists to protect commercial source identifiers, so how far it reaches political satire or election fakes is uncertain.
4. What remains unconfirmed
- Whether EUIPO will accept the application, and in which classes it was filed.
- Whether a voice mark could be enforced against non-commercial deepfakes or satire.
- The outcome of her 2024 deepfake lawsuit.
Sources
- AP via ABC News — Italy's Meloni follows pop stars in seeking to trademark her voice to combat AI deepfakes
- The Washington Post — Italy's Meloni follows pop stars in seeking to trademark her voice
- TVP World — Meloni moves to trademark her voice to fight AI deepfakes
- Global Banking & Finance — Italy PM Meloni Seeks EU Trademark for Voice Amid AI Deepfake Risks