USPTO Declines OpenAI’s Request for GPT Trademark

USPTO denies trademark for "GPT", deeming it generic. Big win for common, descriptive AI terms.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has turned down OpenAI’s application to trademark the term “GPT,” which stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, the technology underpinning its advanced language models. The attempt to trademark GPT comes as these models gain prominence across various sectors, from automated customer service to content creation. OpenAI uses GPT in its product line, including the GPT-4 large language model and ChatGPT. The USPTO’s decision was based on the grounds that the term is “merely descriptive” of the technology’s function and widely used across the industry, rendering it generic and ineligible for trademark under US law.

Implications for the AI Industry

This ruling underscores a significant point about the common terminology used in the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence. By deeming GPT as a term that is inherently descriptive of a family of neural network architectures, the USPTO is acknowledging the widespread adoption and understanding of GPT within the tech community. This development might serve as a precedent, affecting how other AI-related terms and technologies are considered in trademark applications moving forward. OpenAI had argued that the term does not convey a clear meaning to the average person, a point the USPTO found unconvincing.

Sora Text to Video Model

OpenAI has recently announced its latest LLM breakthrough, Sora. Sora distinguishes itself through its ability to generate hyper-realistic videos from text-based prompts, a process powered by advancements in text-conditional diffusion models. These models are meticulously trained on a library of videos and images, spanning various durations to craft content that simulates real-world motion. According to OpenAI, the ultimate goal behind Sora is to understand and mimic physical world interactions accurately, thereby helping users tackle real-world problems through AI.

In summary, the landscape of AI and machine learning continues to evolve, with regulatory, privacy, and innovation fronts facing significant developments. The refusal to trademark GPT by the USPTO sets a clear boundary on the commoditization of widely used AI methodologies, while ongoing discussions about privacy and innovation reflect the growing influence of AI in everyday applications.

Last Updated on November 7, 2024 10:15 pm CET

Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about Microsoft and the wider tech industry for over 10 years. With a degree in creative and professional writing, Luke looks for the interesting spin when covering AI, Windows, Xbox, and more.

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