Meloni deposits four-second voice mark against deepfakes

The prime minister Giorgia Meloni deposited a four-second sound mark at the European Union Intellectual Property Office on 5 October 2026. The mark consists of her voice saying “Io sono Giorgia Meloni”. The application is still under examination and covers specific products and services. It does not grant a general monopoly over her voice but adds another tool against misleading uses. The deposit follows a request filed through Praxi Intellectual Property and concerns three classes of goods including downloadable multimedia content, cultural activities and political event organisation. The phrase echoes a 2019 political speech that became widely recognised. The European Union Intellectual Property Office defines a sound mark as a sign made exclusively of a sound or a combination of sounds.

Protection is limited to the registered sign and the goods and services listed in the application. The office evaluates distinctiveness and public perception before granting registration. A sound mark does not transform a person’s voice into an exclusive property that can be enforced against any imitation. The system is not designed to confer a general monopoly on a vocal timbre. The deposit may provide a legal basis for challenging unauthorised uses that fall within the claimed classes. It can also strengthen enforcement against commercial or communicative uses that infringe the registered mark. The effectiveness will depend on the final registration and the specifics of any future dispute. Other Italian public figures have used similar measures.