AI-Assisted Inventions Offer Wiggle Room for US Patent Agency

The US Patent and Trademark Office has an opportunity to use its limited authority to clarify whether patent protection is warranted for inventions created by humans with the assistance of artificial intelligence, attorneys said.

The PTO on Tuesday sought input on a number of questions that deal with the current standards for inventorship. Its request comes as AI plays an increased role in the innovation process, and ongoing litigation continues to challenge who, or what, is entitled to IP rights.

Up until this point, both the patent office and US Copyright Office have remained firm in their stance that inventors ...