Giorgia Meloni files to trademark her voice as AI deepfake protection
Summary
Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has officially applied to trademark her voice to combat the rise of AI-generated deepfakes ahead of the upcoming elections. The application, submitted to the EU Intellectual Property office, includes a recording of Meloni stating "Io sono Giorgia Meloni" and aims to secure a sound mark under EU regulations, which allow such applications to be based on audio recordings rather than musical notation. This measure comes amidst a troubling landscape of deepfake videos on Italian social media, with some using her cloned voice to promote investment schemes and deliver political advertisements against her.
Analysis
Guido Scorza: Guido Scorza is an Italian technology lawyer. He explains that online platforms typically act faster on trademark complaints than on personal data misuse claims involving AI voice clones. This perspective underscores the practical benefits of pursuing sound mark protection in cases like Meloni's application. Giorgia Meloni: Giorgia Meloni is the Prime Minister of Italy. In this news, she has filed an application with the EU Intellectual Property Office to register her voice as a sound mark using an audio recording of her saying 'Io sono Giorgia Meloni' to prevent AI-generated deepfakes ahead of upcoming elections. The filing targets the unique acoustic traits, inflection, and frequencies of her voice to enable infringement claims against clones. Deepfakes: Italian social media has featured deepfake videos and cloned-voice political ads targeting public figures like Meloni. Regulation: EU rules allow sound mark applications to be submitted as audio recordings that reproduce the identifiable sound rather than relying on musical notation.
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