29Apr/20Off
Ruling: Patents can only be issued to human inventors, and not AIs.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office just issued its decision that only “natural persons" - not AIs - can be named as inventors, refusing two patents for an AI that created an emergency flashing light and shape-shifting food container. The inventions come from physicist and AI researcher Stephen Thaler's "DABUS,"which won't get its name on the patents. The office argues that patent law refers to inventors in humanlike ways, which can't apply to machines.
- The European Patent Office (EPO) and UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) have issued similar rulings turning down Thaler's request and patents.
- The Artificial Inventor Project, which supports Thaler, argues that it could become impossible to patent new innovations if no humans were involved in the work closely enough to take credit.
- The issue of non-human ownership over properties was brought up when PETA argued that a macaque monkey could own the rights to selfies it took; the case was ultimately settled.
See the full story here: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/ai-cant-be-named-inventor-on-patent-agency-says