Computer Scientist Sues PTO Over Patent Ban for AI Inventors (1)

Artificial intelligence-focused computer scientist Stephen Thaler sued U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director Andrei Iancu in Virginia federal court to challenge the PTO’s rejection of patent applications for inventions created by one of his AI systems.

The PTO said in April that granting patents to Thaler’s AI system would “contradict the plain reading of the patent statutes that refer to persons and individuals.” Thaler told the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Thursday that the PTO’s ban on patents for AI inventors is “anti-intellectual property and anti-business, and it puts American businesses at an international disadvantage.” ...