UK's Highest Court , Rules Against Registering , AI Systems As Patent 'Inventors'.
On December 20, Britain's Supreme Court
ruled that an artificial intelligence system
cannot be registered as the inventor of a patent. .
Fox News reports that the decision essentially
denies machines equal status as humans. .
According to the U.K.'s highest court, "an inventor must be a person" in order to
apply for a patent under the current laws.
The decision ends American technologist Stephen Thaler's
grueling legal battle in the U.K. to get his AI
registered as the inventor of two patents.
The decision ends American technologist Stephen Thaler's
grueling legal battle in the U.K. to get his AI
registered as the inventor of two patents.
His AI system, named DABUS, created a food and drink container and a light beacon. Thaler believes that he is entitled to rights over the AI's inventions. .
Fox News reports that similar applications by
Thaler have also been rejected by tribunals in
the United States and the European Union.
According to the U.K. Supreme Court, DABUS is , "not a person, let alone a natural
person and it did not devise
any relevant invention.".
According to legal experts, the case highlights
U.K. law's inability to keep up with technology. .
As AI systems continue to advance in
sophistication and capability, there is
no denying their ability to generate
new and non-obvious products and
processes with minimal, or perhaps
even without any, ongoing human input. , Nick White, partner at law firm
Charles Russell Speechlys, via Fox News.
Change may be on the horizon,
but it will most likely come from the
policymakers, rather than the judges. , Nick White, partner at law firm
Charles Russell Speechlys, via Fox News