On August 1, 2019 the University of Surrey issued a press release claiming that it was pursuing US and European patent protection for the world’s first AI invention. Shortly thereafter on August 21, 2019, the USPTO promulgated a “Request for Comments on Patenting Artificial Intelligence Inventions”, and in October 2019 expanded the RFC to include examination of copyright, trade secret, and trademark protections for works and outputs generated by AI. While some believe that AI technology is a long way off from creating inventions or works without intervention or involvement by humans, businesses and governing bodies are preparing now for the day when the creative genius in their midst is comprised of zeros and ones.

 

We will discuss the challenges facing the scope of patent, copyright, and trade secret protections, and techniques for using licensing terms to protect against gaps in IP protections. Our panelists will discuss the state of the AI ecosystem across several industries, and trends to look out for as the AI economy continues to evolve.

Moderator: Chad Rutkowski, Partner, Baker Hostetler

Panelists

• Dean Alderucci, Director of Research, Center for AI and Patent Analysis, Carnegie Mellon University
• Fotis Konstantinidis, Managing Director Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Practice Leader, Stout Risius Ross, LLC
• Elizabeth Lester, Assistant General Counsel, IP, Equifax