Meloni Seeks EU Voice Trademark Against AI Clones

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni filed an application dated Oct. 5, 2026 with the European Union Intellectual Property Office to register a four-second audio recording of her repeating “Io sono Giorgia Meloni” twice as a sound trademark. The filing is under examination and covers downloadable multimedia content, cultural activities and the organisation of political events. It was first reported by La Repubblica and confirmed by an Italian official on condition of anonymity and by Reuters via her office. The phrase echoes her 2019 rally declaration and 2021 autobiography title. Manipulated images of Meloni have circulated, including a fake image of her sitting on a bed in underwear, and she has a pending 2024 civil case over alleged deepfake pornographic images using her face. Meloni has said deepfakes can “deceive, manipulate and harm anyone” and “I can defend myself, but many others cannot.” Coverage differs on the civil defendants, described as a man from Sardinia or as a father and son, with one account citing a 100,000 euro damages claim. Reports also note Scarlett Johansson’s objection to an OpenAI chatbot voice she called “eerily similar” to her own, a Japan court ruling last week protecting a voice actor’s baritone against TikTok, and earlier EUIPO voice bids by Giusy Ferreri and Luca Ward. Italian media say approval would not automatically prevent AI clones but could add legal obstacles. The EUIPO decision remains pending.