Technical Process: If a prompt is part of a broader technical process—such as a novel method for interacting with an AI system or a unique way of using the AI to achieve a particular technical result—then it may be eligible for patent protection.
For example, AI can take an attorney-written claim and generate a suitable title or summary. Make sure the AI tool generates contextually relevant content, understanding the specific requirements of each section of a patent application to fit seamlessly.
Who can apply for a patent? A patent application can be filed either by true and first inventor or his assignee, either alone or jointly with any other person. However, legal representative of any deceased person can also make an application for patent.
Prompts used for AI software can potentially have IPR protection, but the type of protection will vary: Patent law is unlikely to grant protection unless the prompt is part of a broader technical invention. Copyright law may protect creative prompts but not generic ones.
AI-generated content can't be copyrighted because it isn't considered to be the work of a human creator.
Copyright Ownership Issue But when an open-source licensed code is repeated as generated code by a generative AI tool, there may be copyright violation when the usage of such code does not follow the open-source license terms, such as attribution and distribution in a certain manner.
While AI can aid in generating ideas and solutions, the inventive concept must originate in part from human ingenuity. Human inventors must make substantial contributions to the invention that go beyond merely using AI tools. Otherwise, the invention is not eligible for patent protection.
One important issue for patent law is whether inventions made using AI can be patented. Although U.S. patent law currently requires a human inventor and does not allow patenting of inventions made solely by AI, patents can be granted on some inventions that human inventors make with AI assistance.
Copyright law protects original works of human expression. It does not protect AI -generated works where a human makes little to no creative impact, such as by typing a simple prompt, but it does protect works created with the use or assistance of AI .
Today, IP-focused AI tools are still being tested and refined to bring them up to the standards human IP lawyers apply to patent applications and prosecutions. However, their availability will likely have a beneficial impact on reducing the fees charged for some aspects of patent work.