According to Italian and international media reports, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has filed a sound trade mark application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), consisting of a recording of about 4 seconds in which she says twice, in Italian, Io sono Giorgia Meloni, meaning I am Giorgia Meloni. The reports cite EUIPO records giving 5 October 2026 as the application date, confirmed by her office; the application is shown as under examination and has not been registered. According to Italian reports, it was filed through a law firm in Rome and covers services including downloadable multimedia content, cultural activities and the organisation of political events. The reports say the move is meant to counter AI voice cloning and deepfakes: manipulated images of Meloni have circulated online repeatedly in recent years, and she has urged the public to verify online content before sharing it.
The question worth discussing is whether, now that voices can be copied cheaply, a person can turn their voice into an identifiable commercial sign that can be enforced.
The limits must be kept in view, however: this is a trade mark application, not a patent, and it has not been registered; trade mark protection is built around identifying the origin of the goods or services designated, is confined to the sound sign applied for and the services listed, and cannot be read as a monopoly over all of a person's timbre and ways of speaking, while registration will depend on the examination of distinctiveness and other requirements.
J&C notes that, for brand ambassadors, broadcasters and other public figures worried about voice cloning, a sound mark can be a complementary tool, but they should first assess whether the chosen clip can identify the origin of the goods or services for which it would be used, and file for the classes in which they actually operate; against unauthorised voice clones, personality rights, data protection and platform rules remain to be considered as well, and a trade mark application should not be treated as comprehensive protection of a person's voice.
Source: www.ansa.it | www.globalbankingandfinance.com | www.cp24.com | www.byte.it
