German Court's Ruling Only a Small Step for AI Inventions

A recent ruling from Germany's top court recognizes the significant role artificial intelligence can play in the inventive process, but clarified that AI can only be identified as a tool used by the inventor, not as the inventor itself. Finnegan partner Antje Brambrink told Law360, "In the end, an AI system does not come out of nowhere … it's developed by a human, so there's always some human act involved." While the court affirmed that a "natural person" must be the named inventor, it also acknowledged that inventions developed using AI systems may be patented, marking a positive step for potential patentees.

Read "German Court's Ruling Only a Small Step for AI Inventions"