• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Montreal AI Ethics Institute

Montreal AI Ethics Institute

Democratizing AI ethics literacy

  • Articles
    • Public Policy
    • Privacy & Security
    • Human Rights
      • Ethics
      • JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
    • Climate
    • Design
      • Emerging Technology
    • Application & Adoption
      • Health
      • Education
      • Government
        • Military
        • Public Works
      • Labour
    • Arts & Culture
      • Film & TV
      • Music
      • Pop Culture
      • Digital Art
  • Columns
    • AI Policy Corner
    • Recess
  • The AI Ethics Brief
  • AI Literacy
    • Research Summaries
    • AI Ethics Living Dictionary
    • Learning Community
  • The State of AI Ethics Report
    • Volume 7 (November 2025)
    • Volume 6 (February 2022)
    • Volume 5 (July 2021)
    • Volume 4 (April 2021)
    • Volume 3 (Jan 2021)
    • Volume 2 (Oct 2020)
    • Volume 1 (June 2020)
  • About
    • Our Contributions Policy
    • Our Open Access Policy
    • Contact
    • Donate

Submission to World Intellectual Property Organization on IP & AI

August 6, 2020

Full paper in PDF formDownload

Based on insights from the Montreal AI Ethics Institute (MAIEI) staff and supplemented by workshop contributions from the AI Ethics community convened by MAIEI on July 5, 2020.

Intro

This document posits that, at best, a tenuous case can be made for providing AI exclusive IP over their “inventions”. Furthermore, IP protections for AI are unlikely to confer the benefit of  ensuring regulatory compliance. Rather, IP protections for AI “inventors” present a host of negative externalities and obscures the fact that the genuine inventor, deserving of IP, is the human agent. This document will conclude by recommending strategies for WIPO to bring IP law into the 21st century, enabling it to productively account for AI “inventions”.

Full paper in PDF formDownload
Want quick summaries of the latest research & reporting in AI ethics delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to the AI Ethics Brief. We publish bi-weekly.

Primary Sidebar

🔍 SEARCH

Spotlight

ALL IN Conference 2025: Four Key Takeaways from Montreal

Beyond Dependency: The Hidden Risk of Social Comparison in Chatbot Companionship

AI Policy Corner: Restriction vs. Regulation: Comparing State Approaches to AI Mental Health Legislation

Beyond Consultation: Building Inclusive AI Governance for Canada’s Democratic Future

AI Policy Corner: U.S. Executive Order on Advancing AI Education for American Youth

related posts

  • Open and Linked Data Model for Carbon Footprint Scenarios

    Open and Linked Data Model for Carbon Footprint Scenarios

  • System Cards for AI-Based Decision-Making for Public Policy

    System Cards for AI-Based Decision-Making for Public Policy

  • Ethical concerns with replacing human relations with humanoid robots: an Ubuntu perspective

    Ethical concerns with replacing human relations with humanoid robots: an Ubuntu perspective

  • On the Challenges of Using Black-Box APIs for Toxicity Evaluation in Research

    On the Challenges of Using Black-Box APIs for Toxicity Evaluation in Research

  • Confucius, cyberpunk and Mr. Science: comparing AI ethics principles between China and the EU

    Confucius, cyberpunk and Mr. Science: comparing AI ethics principles between China and the EU

  • Mapping the Ethicality of Algorithmic Pricing

    Mapping the Ethicality of Algorithmic Pricing

  • Reports on Communication Surveillance in Botswana, Malawi and the DRC, and the Chinese Digital Infra...

    Reports on Communication Surveillance in Botswana, Malawi and the DRC, and the Chinese Digital Infra...

  • The Paradox of AI Ethics in Warfare

    The Paradox of AI Ethics in Warfare

  • A Snapshot of the Frontiers of Fairness in Machine Learning (Research Summary)

    A Snapshot of the Frontiers of Fairness in Machine Learning (Research Summary)

  • Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) post‐hoc explainability methods: risks and limitations in ...

    Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) post‐hoc explainability methods: risks and limitations in ...

Partners

  •  
    U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC) at NIST

  • Partnership on AI

  • The LF AI & Data Foundation

  • The AI Alliance

Footer


Articles

Columns

AI Literacy

The State of AI Ethics Report


 

About Us


Founded in 2018, the Montreal AI Ethics Institute (MAIEI) is an international non-profit organization equipping citizens concerned about artificial intelligence and its impact on society to take action.

Contact

Donate


  • © 2025 MONTREAL AI ETHICS INSTITUTE.
  • This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
  • Learn more about our open access policy here.
  • Creative Commons License

    Save hours of work and stay on top of Responsible AI research and reporting with our bi-weekly email newsletter.