Very soon, the patent attorney profession will be disrupted by conversational language models. Any doubts? Then please listen to this interview with DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman. It’s such a fascinating first-hand perspective on the journey from AI beating humankind in chess, then in Go, and now folding proteins beyond levels experts would have thought possible a moment ago. The recent...
Where AI inventions happen
In this week’s live Q&A on LinkedIn, the question came up when, where and how patentable AI innovations actually happen today. In this article, I’ll try to unpack the notion of AI patents from different angles, showcasing the immense impact of AI on the invention landscape today. By the way, if you’ve missed the live Q&A on LinkedIn, I’ve put the recording on my...
Software patents in Europe (presentation slides)
It’s all about the technical contribution, but what exactly is “technical” at the European Patent Office? Is it “technical” when engineers solve hard industrial problems with AI? These and other questions were the topic of my presentation for the patent working group of Bayern Innovativ on 11 May 2023. It was a great honor to share my two cents after another great...
Patenting the Metaverse
The Metaverse as a borderless virtual world encompassing work, play, entertainment, and more, is the next evolution of the Internet as we know it. It’s a real opportunity to drive economic growth and bring its benefits to everyone, everywhere. With digitalization going forward, there’s no doubt that IP will be one of the key drivers in this field. I recently had the pleasure of speaking about...
Blockchain, web3 & IP: what the heck?
I learned so much about IP in the Metaverse and Web3 on a panel discussion in Paris the other day, thanks to my awesome co-panelists. We covered the different facets of IP in the digital space, looked into some innovative blockchain users like Bernstein.io and Binded, and even new licensing models made possible by platforms like IPwe and its Blockchain Smart Pool with over 1,200 nChain patent...
I’m giving away my presentation slides
Sharing is caring, isn’t it? I’ve you’ve missed one of my conference talks or seminars, you can now download most of my slide decks on the “downloads” page.
I just uploaded 14 slide decks from 2022 and 2021.
Hope you enjoy!Bastian
Why patent strategy MUST be rooted in economics
Just in case it has slipped your mind: Patent strategy must always be rooted in economics. I’d love to share Prof. Dr. Alexander J. Wurzer’s recent IP Management Nugget, which is a great reminder that a smart patenting approach requires identifying the payment stream generated from the use of the IP. I see it all the time that companies have a hard time figuring out what the IP...
AI patents in Europe: grant rate rising, but still below average
If you’re a numbers person, you will love Haseltine Lake Kemper’s recent article From Filing to Opposition: What are the Statistics on Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Patents & Applications at the EPO. The author Frances Wilding presents very interesting statistics about European patent applications in IPC class G06N (the class stands for “computer systems based on specific...
Can an AI be an inventor?
Or is the real question: Should an AI be an inventor? Maiwald’s Simon Lud argues that artificial intelligence systems should be granted legal personality. I’m leaning towards a different approach: I very much enjoyed Beat Weibel‘s pragmatic point of view in an interview on Rolf Claessen‘s IP Fridays podcast. He appreciates that the DABUS project has brought up the topic...
No patents for computer games? Look closely!
Did you know that Clash of Clans and Hay Day generated €2 million in revenue a day in 2013 for Finnish mobile game development company Supercell? And would you have thought that Supercell has 180+ published patent documents? I’ve looked through some of them in an Instagram Reel (in German). Some notable examples: EP 2 836 278 B1 “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING TECHNICAL...