New research published by the University of Surrey in Boston College Law Review is calling for inventions by computers to be legally granted patents.
- New research published by the University of Surrey in Boston College Law Review says the law has failed to address the issue of computer inventorship
- Inventions generated by Artificial Intelligence are rising exponentially without the legal framework to manage the issue of patents, which could result in less innovation and uncertainty about invention ownership
- Expert in patent law proposes acknowledging computers as inventors in order to incentivise the development of creative computers – without which, some inventions may never be realised
- Computers could overtake humans as the primary source of new inventions in the foreseeable future
The research states that the rapid increase in computer power is posing new challenges when it comes to patenting an invention. Artificial Intelligence is playing an ever larger role in innovation – with major players such as IBM, Pfizer and Google investing heavily in creative computing – but current patent law does not recognise computers as inventors.
Without a change in the law, the findings warn that there will be less innovation, caused by uncertainty, which would prevent industry from capitalising on the huge potential of creative computers. We are also likely to see disputes over inventorship, with individuals taking credit for inventions that are not genuinely theirs.
Ryan Abbott, Professor of Law and Health Sciences at the University of Surrey’s School of Law proposes that non-humans should be allowed to be named as inventors on patents as this would incentivise the creation of intellectual property by encouraging the development of creative computers. By assigning ownership of a computer’s invention to a computer’s owner, he argues, it would be possible to reward inventive activity which happens before the invention itself.
Professor Abbott commented, “While some patent prosecutors say the ability of machines to create patentable inventions on their own is well off in the future, artificial intelligence has actually been generating inventive ideas for decades. In just one example, an Artificial Intelligence system named ‘The Creativity Machine’ invented the first cross-bristled toothbrush design.
“Soon computers will be routinely inventing, and it may only be a matter of time until computers are responsible for most innovation. To optimise innovation – and the positive impact this will have on our economies – it is critical that we extend the laws around inventorship to include computers.”
The study also examines the implications of computer inventorship for other areas of patent law – for example whether computers should replace the ‘skilled person’ conventionally used to judge a patent’s inventiveness, since a computer would have an unlimited knowledge of the particular field in question.
Learn more: Computers should be named on patents as inventors, for creativity to flourish
The Latest on: Computers as inventors
[google_news title=”” keyword=”computers as inventors” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Computers as inventors
- Best Online Banks of April 2024on April 26, 2024 at 5:01 pm
The best online bank accounts will offer low fees, competitive interest rates and strong customer service. However, even the best online banks won’t be able to offer some of the in-branch services ...
- World Intellectual Property Day: Patent filings surge as Indian inventors prove mettle — top six patenting trendson April 26, 2024 at 3:48 pm
The share of patents filed by residents of India has doubled over the last decade, from 33.6 per cent of the total filings in 2019 to over 50 per cent by 2023.
- Learn about QC innovators and inventors in new exhibiton April 26, 2024 at 3:43 pm
You may have known that chiropractic care, sliced bread and Dairy Queen were all invented in the Quad Cities, but did you know that Deere & Company was very briefly in the automobile business? That’s ...
- Locking up carbon for good: Easthampton inventor’s CO2 removal system turns biomass into biocharon April 26, 2024 at 1:07 pm
Like many people, Michael Garjian believes global warming is a pressing issue of our times.Unlike most, he’s putting his ideas for reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into practice — and at the ...
- Meet Saheed Adepoju, computer engineer who invented INYE, Africa’s first tablet computeron April 25, 2024 at 2:58 am
A Nigerian computer engineer, Saheed Adepoju, invented INYE-1 and INYE-2 computer tablets specially designed for the African market.
- Forget the PS5 Pro, Sony's neck-based air conditioner is the invention turning heads right nowon April 24, 2024 at 10:46 am
Sony's air conditioner gadget is one of the more bizarre inventions of 2024, but it's already popular in Asia - and is now available outside the continent.
- Former NASA engineer claims he invented a ground-breaking thruster that doesn’t need fuelon April 23, 2024 at 1:22 pm
A company led by a former NASA engineer claims to have created propellant-free thrusters that could revolutionize space travel.
- TESDA students’ plastic shredder invention eyed for productionon April 23, 2024 at 7:01 am
Scholars of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have invented a plastic shredder to help protect the environment. “We thought of developing a plastic shredder project as a ...
- Purdue-invented concrete strength sensing system wins Edison Awardon April 19, 2024 at 10:31 am
A Purdue University invention that could help reduce time and money spent on the construction and repair of concrete highway pavement and ...
via Bing News