The Patent Puzzle: USPTO’s Guidelines for AI Inventions

Can AI inventions be patented? Scott Hervey and Eric Caligiuri explore recent USPTO guidance on patenting AI-assisted inventions in this installment of "The Briefing" by Weintraub Tobin.   Watch this episode on the Weintraub YouTube channel here. Show Notes: Scott: Can AI inventions be patented? Can inventors use AI assistance in the creation of an invention, and can that invention be patented? On February 12, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued guidance on the patentability of inventions developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence. I'm Scott Hervey from Weintraub Tobin, and I am joined today by Weintraub lawyer and frequent guest to the briefing, Eric Caligiuri, to discuss this new development in patent prosecution on this episode of "The Briefing." Eric, welcome back to "The Briefing." Eric: Good to be here, Scott. Scott: So, Eric, the USPTO recently issued a guidance statement that addressed the listing of non-humans on patent applications. Now, this seems to stem from the various patent applications filed by Stefan Thaler or Thaler, which lists his AI tool device for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sciences, or DABUS, as the inventor. The USPTO denied these applications, and this denial was upheld by the Federal Circuit. Eric: Right, Scott, in the guidance, the USPTO explained that AI systems and other non-natural persons cannot be listed as inventors on patent applications or patents. The USPTO reasoned that the US Supreme Court has indicated that the meaning of invention in the patent act refers to the inventor's conception. Similarly, the Federal Circuit has made clear that conception is the touchstone of inventorship. Conception is often referred to as a mental act or the mental part of the invention. Specifically, it is the formation in the mind of the inventor of a definite and permanent idea of the complete and operative invention as it is hereafter to be applied in practice. Because conception is an act performed in the mind, it has to date been understood as only performed by natural persons. Scott: Eric, there has been some question about the patentability of inventions created using AI tools. The USPTO issued guidance on this issue as well. Eric: That's right. The USPTO explained that while AI-assisted inventions are not categorically unpatentable, the inventorship analysis should focus on human contributions, as patents function to incentivize and reward human ingenuity. Thus, patent protection may be sought for inventions created through the use of AI tools under specific circumstances. Scott: So the USPTO made it clear that inventions created through the use of AI tools are not per se unpatentable. Eric: That's correct. The USPTO said that there are no specific sections of the patent act that support a position that inventions that are created by natural persons using specific tools, including AI systems, result in improper inventorship or otherwise unpatentable. The statutes only require the naming of natural persons who invented or discovered the claimed invention. Irrespective of the contributions provided by an AI system or other advanced technology system. Scott: So, Eric, what are the circumstances under which a creator or inventor using an AI tool can claim ownership of the invention? Eric: In the context of AI-assisted inventions, natural persons who create an invention using an AI system or any other advanced system must still contribute significantly to the invention.