AI Computers Can’t Patent their Own Inventions -- Yet -- a US Judge Rules
DannyB writes:
AI computers can't patent their own inventions - yet - a US judge rules
Should an artificially intelligent machine be able to patent its own inventions? For a US federal judge, the larger implications of that question were irrelevant. In April 2020, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled that only "natural persons" could be credited as the inventor of a patent, and a US court decided Thursday that yes, that's what the law technically says (via Bloomberg).
Not every country agrees with that direction. South Africa and Australia decided to go the other direction, granting one patent and reinstating a second patent application filed by AI researcher Steven Thaler, whose AI system DABUS reportedly came up with a flashing light and a new type of food container. Thaler is the one who sued the US in this case as well - he's part of a group called The Artificial Inventor Project that's lobbying for AI recognition around the globe.
On a patent application doesn't the inventor have to swear they invented it? [602.01 Naming the Inventor]
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