Italian prime minister seeks to trademark her voice after deepfake porn videos

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni filed to trademark her voice with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on Monday, submitting a four-second audio clip of her repeating the phrase "Io sono Giorgia." The application follows deepfake porn videos of Meloni that surfaced in 2024, for which she sought €100,000 in damages, and more recent AI-generated images depicting her in lingerie.

The trademark filing marks an escalation in how public figures are using intellectual property law to combat unauthorized AI-generated content. Meloni's clip draws from her 2021 autobiography title and signature campaign slogan, embedding political branding directly into the legal claim.

A growing legal pushback against voice cloning

Meloni joins a widening circle of celebrities and performers turning to trademark protections. US actor Matthew McConaughey trademarked his voice and image in January, while Taylor Swift filed three trademark applications in April. The urgency extends beyond individual actions. In August, over 80 UK performers-including Matt Lucas and Hugh Bonneville-urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce legislation granting individuals legal ownership of their voices.

Voice cloning technology has advanced rapidly. High-quality replicas typically require hours of source audio, but functional copies can now be produced from just seconds of recorded speech. The four-second clip in Meloni's filing underscores how little material is needed to create a recognizable synthetic voice.

Legal frameworks lag behind the technology

Current intellectual property law across most jurisdictions was not designed with voice cloning in mind. Trademark applications like Meloni's represent a workaround-using existing legal tools to claim ownership over something that copyright and privacy laws do not consistently protect. The EUIPO filing does not guarantee approval, but it establishes a formal record and legal pathway for enforcement.

For regulatory professionals tracking these developments, the intersection of AI and IP law is becoming a central policy challenge. Those working in AI Regulatory Compliance Courses are increasingly encountering voice rights as an emerging area of liability and legislation. Similarly, AI Public Policy Courses now address how governments can update legal frameworks to handle synthetic media.

Why this matters for creatives, legal professionals, and communications teams

Voice is becoming a battleground asset. For performers, writers, and public-facing professionals, the ability to control vocal identity has direct economic consequences. A cloned voice can narrate audiobooks, deliver advertisements, or impersonate a public figure without consent or compensation. The UK performers' letter to Burnham frames this as an ownership issue, not merely a privacy concern.

Communications and PR teams face a parallel risk: synthetic audio can fabricate statements from executives or spokespeople, creating crises that move faster than corrections. Legal departments, meanwhile, must weigh whether existing contract language covers voice rights or whether new clauses are needed in talent agreements and endorsement deals. The Meloni filing signals that high-profile figures will not wait for legislation to catch up-they are using the tools available now.