Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Law - Position Statement of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition of 9 April 2021 on the Current Debate

26 Pages Posted: 14 Apr 2021

See all articles by Josef Drexl

Josef Drexl

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition; Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Reto Hilty

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition; University of Zurich; Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Luc Desaunettes-Barbero

Catholic University of Louvain (UCL); Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition; University of Strasbourg - CEIPI

Jure Globocnik

Max Planck Law Network - Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Begoña Gonzalez Otero

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Jörg Hoffmann

Max Planck Law Network - Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Daria Kim

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Shraddha Kulhari

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Heiko Richter

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Stefan Scheuerer

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Peter R. Slowinski

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Klaus Wiedemann

Max Planck Law Network - Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

Date Written: April 9, 2021

Abstract

This Position Statement presents a broad overview of issues arising at the intersection of AI and IP law based on the work of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition research group on Regulation of the Digital Economy. While the analysis is approached mainly from a perspective de lege lata, it also identifies questions which require further reflection de lege ferenda supported by in-depth interdisciplinary research. The scope is confined to substantive European IP law, in particular, as regards copyright, patents, designs, databases and trade secrets. Specific AI-related issues are mapped out around the core questions of IP law, namely, the eligibility for protection under the respective IP regimes, allocation of rights and the scope of protection. The structure of the analysis reflects three key components of AI: inputs required for the development of AI systems, AI as a process and the output of AI applications. Overall, it is emphasised that, while recent legal and policy discussions have mostly focused on AI-aided and AI-generated output, a more holistic view that accounts for the role of IP law across the AI innovation cycle is indispensable.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; AI-driven innovation; AI-generated output; copyright; database protection, human-computer interaction; innovation policy; intellectual property law; patents; trade secrets

Suggested Citation

Drexl, Josef and Hilty, Reto and Desaunettes-Barbero, Luc and Globocnik, Jure and Gonzalez Otero, Begoña and Hoffmann, Jörg and Kim, Daria and Kulhari, Shraddha and Richter, Heiko and Scheuerer, Stefan and Slowinski, Peter R. and Wiedemann, Klaus, Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Law - Position Statement of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition of 9 April 2021 on the Current Debate (April 9, 2021). Max Planck Institute for Innovation & Competition Research Paper No. 21-10, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3822924 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3822924

Josef Drexl

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.ip.mpg.de

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Munich, 80539
Germany

Reto Hilty (Contact Author)

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.ip.mpg.de

University of Zurich

Rämistrasse 74/7
Zürich, CH-8001
Switzerland

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Munich, 80539
Germany

Luc Desaunettes-Barbero

Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) ( email )

Place Montesquieu, 3
Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348
Belgium

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

University of Strasbourg - CEIPI ( email )

Bâtiment LE CARDO, 7 Rue de l'Ecarlate
CS 20024
Strasbourg, 67082
France

Jure Globocnik

Max Planck Law Network - Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Begoña Gonzalez Otero

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Jörg Hoffmann

Max Planck Law Network - Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Daria Kim

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Shraddha Kulhari

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Heiko Richter

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Stefan Scheuerer

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Peter R. Slowinski

Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

Klaus Wiedemann

Max Planck Law Network - Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition ( email )

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, Bayern 80539
Germany

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