AI can't be listed as inventor on patent applications, Japan's top court rules
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Japan's top court ruled AI cannot be listed as an inventor on patent applications.
Japan's Supreme Court upheld a ruling that only humans can be named as inventors on patent applications, rejecting a bid to list an AI system called DABUS as the inventor. The court affirmed that Japanese patent law requires inventors to be natural persons. The plaintiff refused to name a human inventor, leading to the application's rejection.
What commenters are saying
Commenters largely agree with the ruling, noting it aligns with global precedent that IP rights require human creators. A split emerges: some argue AI output lacks copyright protection, citing US Copyright Office guidance that prompts alone do not provide sufficient human control. Others counter that AI is merely a tool, like a keyboard or camera, and the human user can own the resulting IP if they show sufficient creative input. The key distinction is the court ruled against listing AI as inventor, not against human ownership of AI-assisted inventions.