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From: darrelj@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Darrel VanBuer)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Who owns the output of an AI?
Message-ID: <4944@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Nov-87 16:47:58 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.4944
Posted: Wed Nov 11 16:47:58 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Nov-87 04:56:50 EST
References: <1778@svax.cs.cornell.edu> <4631@spool.wisc.edu>
Reply-To: darrelj@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Darrel VanBuer)
Organization: Unisys - System Development Group, Santa Monica
Lines: 38
Summary: AI program=tool, hammer makers don't own houses you nail together

>In article <1778@svax.cs.cornell.edu> houpt@svax.cs.cornell.edu (Charles (Chuck) Houpt) writes:
>>
>>property law. The interseting thing is that it has a section dealing with
>>intellectual property generated by Artificial Intelligences.
>>
>>   The law says that the output of an AI is owned by the user running the
>>AI, NOT the programmer who designed it.
>>
>>   Is this fare? Should copywrites go to the user or the programmer? (or to
>>the AI :-)? To me the British law seems unfair. If my AI program discovered
>>a new high temperature super-conductor, shouldn't I get some profit? The
>>user running my program may know nothing about super-conductors, why should
>>he get the patent?
>
If I sold sophistocated tools like computer-controlled milling machines, I
would not expect to own any interest in the output of the milling machine,
even if the user has found a novel way to use it.  An AI tool is somewhat
like traditional hardware tools.
If I sold consulting services, my contractor would expect to own the result
of that work unless we negotiated a contract saying otherwise.  I would
expect to learn some improved skills and a new claim to fame in my resume
and my name on the reports if I played a major role.
If I taught a student methods of solving a problem, I might expect a few
lines of acknowledgement in his dissertation, but no more.

An AI program is not EXACTLY like any of these, but it seems to me if you
seel an AI tool, the most you can expect is goodwill and further sales from a
customers success with it.
To have greater rights in the results, you could always write your license
terms stating otherwise, but you might have a hard time making sales under
such terms.



-- 
Darrel J. Van Buer, PhD; unisys; 2525 Colorado Ave; Santa Monica, CA 90406
(213)829-7511 x5449        KI6VY        darrel@CAM.UNISYS.COM   or
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