The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Dr. Stephen Thaler’s appeal seeking copyright protection for his AI‑generated artwork A Recent Entrance to Paradise. The decision allows to stand the long series of administrative and judicial rulings holding that a work created autonomously by an AI system cannot be protected by copyright under U.S. law
Artificial intelligence may be global, but patent eligibility remains stubbornly local. A recent decision out of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom seems to have nudged UK practice for computer-implemented inventions closer to the approach historically taken by the European Patent Office. The decision lowers the threshold for exclusion from patentability, reducing the likelihood
On February 20, 2026, Gadgets, Gigabytes and Goodwill Blog co-editor Owen Wolfe spoke at the Fordham School of Law as part of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal Symposium, The Meaning of Ownership: Rethinking Intellectual Property, Creativity, and Control in the Age of Innovation. Owen discussed how courts have so far applied
On December 11, 2025, President Trump issued another Executive Order. This one is intended to promote “national dominance” in “a race with adversaries for supremacy.” To “win,” the Order says, AI companies should not be encumbered by state regulation. “The policy of the United States,” the Order says, is “to sustain and enhance the
Every year has its “it” term.In 2025, the crown belonged to AI, and rightfully so. AI dominated the headlines, flooded the USPTO’s dockets, and triggered more §101 rejections than any examiner would care to admit. If you worked in tech, you had to talk about AI. If you worked in patent law, you likely had
Introduction
A collision is on the horizon. The collision is between a strict interpretation of the human authorship requirement under U.S. copyright law, and the ascendence of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) as an essential element of modern creativity. From publishing and advertising to music, film, media, and software development, AI systems are reshaping workflows and
When Dr. Stephen Thaler asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the human authorship requirement for copyright protection last month, many observers dismissed the effort. Thaler’s claim—that his generative AI system should be recognized as the author of its own outputs—has been consistently rejected by courts and the Copyright Office. On its face, Dr. Thaler’s petition
Another day and another change at the USPTO. On October 8, the USPTO announced an Artificial Intelligence Pilot Program for pre-examination searches. Last week, on October 24, the USPTO followed with the Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program aimed at accelerating examination through simplified claim structures. Together, these initiatives reflect Director John Squires’ drive to modernize
In a new Law360 article, Seyfarth partners Puya Partow-Navid and Brian Michaelis examine the early actions of newly appointed USPTO Director John A. Squires and their potential impact on patent eligibility, PTAB proceedings, and patent prosecution.
The piece explores Director Squires’ initial policy moves, including his decision to personally oversee AIA trial institution decisions and
Tomorrow, October 9, 2025, Lauren Leipold and Owen Wolfe, Intellectual Property Partners at Seyfarth, will be speaking at the WIPR AI & IP Summit in New York.
Lauren and Owen will take part in the session “AI vs Copyright: Tackle the New Creative Battleground,” which will examine how generative AI is disrupting traditional copyright principles and the legal frameworks around them. The