ARTICLE
16 September 2024

German High Court Rules AI-Generated Inventions Can Receive Patent Protection

FL
Foley & Lardner

Contributor

Foley & Lardner LLP looks beyond the law to focus on the constantly evolving demands facing our clients and their industries. With over 1,100 lawyers in 24 offices across the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia, Foley approaches client service by first understanding our clients’ priorities, objectives and challenges. We work hard to understand our clients’ issues and forge long-term relationships with them to help achieve successful outcomes and solve their legal issues through practical business advice and cutting-edge legal insight. Our clients view us as trusted business advisors because we understand that great legal service is only valuable if it is relevant, practical and beneficial to their businesses.
A recent decision by the German Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Court of Justice, 2024 June 11, no. X ZB 5/22) found that AI-generated inventions can be registered for patent in Germany...
Worldwide Intellectual Property

A recent decision by the German Bundesgerichtshof (Federal Court of Justice, 2024 June 11, no. X ZB 5/22) found that AI-generated inventions can be registered for patent in Germany, with a natural person listed as the inventor, as long as the requirements for patent protection under German law are satisfied. This ruling is part of the evolving landscape of patent law in response to advancements in artificial intelligence technology, and diverges from more restrictive jurisdictions.

The Court recognized that, "According to the current state of scientific knowledge, there is no such thing as a system that searches for technical teachings without any human preparation or influence." Regarding who is named as a human inventor, the Court stated:

"The question of what type or intensity a human contribution must have in order to justify such an attribution ... is not of decisive importance. In particular, there is no need to conclusively determine whether the position as manufacturer, owner or possessor of such a system is sufficient or whether actions with a closer connection to the technical teaching found are required, such as special measures of programming or data training, initiating the search process that brought the claimed teaching to light, checking and selecting from several results proposed by the system or other activities ... Regardless of how these questions are to be assessed, it remains possible to identify such human contributions even when using systems with artificial intelligence and to derive the status of inventor from this through legal assessment."

This decision, that the use of AI in inventing does not preclude the patentability of the resultant creation in Germany, highlights the importance of updating patent laws to reflect the changing technological landscape to allow worthy inventions to be protectable. It also may provide for strategies for protecting inventions generated through AI in a major market in Europe.

The German decision stands in contrast to similar cases brought forward by Professor Abbott and his team in jurisdictions such as the United States, which require a natural person – a human being – to make a substantial contribution to an invention for the invention to be patentable. Earlier this year, the United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled that if an AI generates an invention, it is inherently unprotectable.

View referenced article

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More