UK Supreme Court Rejects AI's Bid for Patent Rights in Landmark Case
The UK Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by an American computer scientist, Stephen Thaler, seeking patent rights for inventions created by his artificial intelligence (AI) system, known as DABUS. Thaler wanted to register two patents in the UK but faced refusal from the Intellectual Property Office, which stated that the inventor must be a human or a company, not a machine. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the decision, emphasizing that UK patent law requires the inventor to be a natural person. This case marks a significant legal precedent in determining patent rights for AI-generated inventions.
Thaler's appeal mirrors a similar case in the United States, where the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's refusal to grant patents for inventions produced by his AI system. The rulings highlight the ongoing legal and ethical discussions surrounding intellectual property rights and AI-generated innovations.
