April 25, 2023
The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal to the US Patent and Trademark Office’s decision to deny patents for inventions created by artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Stephen Thaler, a computer scientist, filed an appeal, alleging that his DABUS AI system independently produced two inventions: a beverage holder and an emergency light beacon.
Thaler’s patent applications were denied by the patent office, which stated that AI systems could not be deemed legal inventors under US law. The Federal Circuit affirmed this ruling last year, reasoning that only human inventors should be allowed patents.
The Supreme Court’s decision to deny AI-generated patents, according to Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig and other Thaler proponents, might have serious ramifications. They cautioned that this judgment might jeopardize billions of dollars in current and future investments, damage US competitiveness, and violate the plain meaning of the Patent Act. Thaler also challenged the US Copyright Office’s decision to deny copyright protection to AI-generated art.
Thaler argued that artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to drive innovation in a variety of fields, from medicine to energy, and that refusing to grant patents for AI-generated inventions would impede the patent system’s ability to promote innovation and technological progress, which is contrary to Congress’ intent.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.
