Artificial Intelligence Generated Works and Patent Law
Analysis of the DABUS Case in the European Union, South Korea and Proposal for Vietnam
Abstract
The development of generative Artificial Intelligence has created several legal implications in intellectual property law. The most prominent example is DABUS case, in which DABUS – the AI invented by Stephen Thaler created a food container and a light by itself. Afterwards, Thaler tried to name the AI as the inventor of the product and claim the patent by being an employer of the AI. The case was trialled in 16 countries, including the European Union (EU) and South Korea, creating a major debate on the matters of inventorship and patentability. In Vietnam, since the invention of ViGPT, there has also been debates on similar issues. The aim of this paper is to provide Vietnam with solutions to this issue, thus the country can prepare for the phenomenon. This research will analyse and evaluate the DABUS decisions from the EU and South Korea, with comparison to Vietnamese law to answer questions on the inventor of AI-generated works and its patentability. The finding revealed that despite the differences in the law, the interpretation concluded similarly. However, as the direction of legislation in the European Union and South Korea were divergent, it can be beneficial for Vietnam to learn from the experience of both.
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