The growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has raised profound questions for many industries. Nonetheless, many arguments revolve around intellectual property rights.
As this technology continues to evolve, the opportunities it presents threaten to become overwhelmed by ethical and legal dilemmas. As a result, many individuals and organizations need clear direction to find success beyond these complications. Accordingly, this article provides an overview of critical issues and a few answers to them.
Your future success and your right to profits will depend on these intellectual property concerns. Examine the challenges and their potential solutions that may protect your interests with us today.
Intellectual Property Rights: A Quick Summary
Intellectual property (IP) rights give you control over your creations. Generally, it allows you to prevent unauthorized use, distribution, or exploitation.
Your IP portfolio is essential for innovation and protecting your long-term interests. Otherwise, you have little control over what happens to your ideas.
IPs cover many intangible assets useful for inventors and other professionals. Regardless, the overall categories covered under current law are as follows:
- Patents grant exclusive rights to your inventions
- Trademarks are signs, symbols, or logos used to distinguish a product or service from others
- Copyrights are legal rights granted to creators of original artistic works
- Trade Secrets are confidential details that businesses use to maintain a competitive advantage
What You Need To Know About AI and Intellectual Property Rights
So what do you need to know about AI and intellectual property rights? Artificial intelligence has the potential to create original works eligible for ownership. For instance, AI can produce new art, music, and literature using algorithms and machine learning. However, whether AI should receive attribution for such works is under debate.
The most substantial legal challenge involves ownership. The question of who owns the rights is complex and depends on the degree of human input. The traditional concept of authorship assumes that a person created the work. Consequently, AI content is unlikely to qualify for legal protection anytime soon.
Issues around AI-generated works without proper attribution are also hotly-debated topics. After all, it is simple to duplicate their work without permission, which raises ethical questions. Furthermore, the risk of copyright infringement is a stark reality. Regarding this issue, we offer a guide with tips and strategies to protect your intellectual property from AI.
Patenting AI Inventions
Patent law provides legal protection for inventors of machines, processes, and compositions of matter. As AI continues to evolve, its involvement may complicate our interpretations of this process.
For instance, there may be nothing to stop AI from meeting the necessary criteria. Eventually, they may have the same rights as humans when their creations are new, non-obvious, and practical.
However, a recent ruling does not make this future seem like a possibility. The US Court of Appeals upheld a decision that an AI system cannot receive attribution as an inventor on a patent. It is always possible that laws could change, but Congress has not shown interest in advancing this right to non-humans.
Protecting AI-related Trade Secrets
Trade secrets include proprietary technology, formulae, algorithms, and customer lists. In the AI industry, they are essential for protecting intellectual property. Subsequently, companies that rely on proprietary IPs must take action to ensure confidentiality.
However, maintaining the secrecy of AI-related trade secrets can be challenging. In some cases, the information may be in multiple locations. Additionally, AI relies on extensive data sets to generate insights and develop new products. This method can make it challenging to know what constitutes a trade secret.
As a result of the complexities, companies must have robust security measures in place. Otherwise, they cannot hope to prevent unauthorized access and must monitor their systems for breaches. There is also a risk that employees or contractors may share secrets or use them for their benefit.
Copyright and AI
The originality requirement in copyright law is central to concerns about AI-generated works. Generally, this criterion means that the work must be the product of the author’s creativity. It cannot merely be a copy. However, there are significant questions about whether artificial intelligence can meet this standard.
Regardless, some scholars contend these systems can exhibit creative and original output. In particular, there are instances where random or unpredictable elements get introduced.
For example, consider the story of the first AI-generated art piece to sell at auction. “Portrait of Edmond de Belamy” was the product of the French art collective Obvious. They used a machine learning algorithm to create a portrait that sold for $432,500. This amount far exceeded its pre-sale estimate of $7,000 to $10,000.
This story generated significant interest and debate about the role of AI in the art world. While some have hailed the sale as a milestone, others question the validity of its originality and creativity.
Trademarks and AI
Arguably, trademark law could apply to AI-generated products or services and media sold to consumers. They could produce content distinguishable from other particular sources or origins.
Creating a distinct brand identity for AI can be challenging due to the nature of the technology. These systems learn and adapt based on the data it has to review. Consequently, it can be onerous to maintain consistency in product or brand identity. Additionally, AI-generated products or services may not have a fixed identity or may change over time.
Currently, the optimal solution available to you involves careful planning and execution. Businesses must invest in developing a strategy that takes the unique characteristics of AI into account. This process may include creating a consistent visual identity, developing a brand message, and investing in marketing.
Ethical Considerations
The expanding ethical questions around AI and intellectual property rights are substantial. Some of the hotly contested ethical concerns in these early days involve bias, privacy, and using AI to do harm. When asking what you need to know about AI and intellectual property rights, this is the toughest subject.
AI systems learn from data and make decisions. However, the output may be discriminatory if the information used to train an AI reflects systemic inequalities. This circumstance could lead to an acceleration of biased decisions that have long plagued the world.
Furthermore, AI systems process vast amounts of data, including health records and financial information. As such, there is a risk they could violate privacy rights. Additionally, there is a risk that AI may make decisions about individuals without their knowledge or consent.
These challenges highlight the need for a nuanced and thoughtful approach. There are still many historic decisions to make that could affect the broader societal impact of AI.
Consult with a Local Intellectual Property Lawyer
There are too many opportunities and challenges regarding AI and intellectual property to count. This emerging area of law could drive significant innovations for you or your business. However, there are also legal and ethical questions to address.
If you have concerns, about what you need to know about AI and intellectual property, now is the time to consult with a local attorney. They can help you develop strategies and stay up-to-date with the latest developments. Schedule a consultation with a lawyer in our network today by calling (866) 345-6784 or completing our brief online form.
