OpenAI, a non-profit organization that believes in open-source technology, is looking to trademark the term “GPT,” which stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, according to recent reports. This move has raised some eyebrows, given their open-source roots. In today’s industry, the “GPT” has quickly become synonymous with AI chatbots, following in OpenAI’s success. Thus, applications have begun to appear for trademarks such as “ThreatGPT” and “MedicalGPT.” OpenAI has applied for the trademark for “GPT” with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) back in December. To their dismay, the request was denied, citing the lack of appropriate documents, and will now have to wait up to 5 months before the office reaches a decision.
OpenAI is based in San Francisco and was founded in 2016 by tech entrepreneur Sam Altman, with a view to democratizing artificial intelligence. The organization receives support and funding from the likes of Microsoft and Amazon. Their mission is to ensure that advanced AI technology and its associated resources, such as compute power and enhanced data access, are available to everyone. By granting the use of their GPT trademark, OpenAI hopes to protect their founding principles and ensure that proper credit is given to their original idea and concept.
Jefferson Scher, an intellectual property attorney, believes that OpenAI’s fame and reputation will be taken into account when considering the USPTO decision. He also cited IBM as a precedent for the trademarking of abbreviated terms such as “GPT”, and stated that OpenAI has a good chance of owning the trademark for “GPT”. Whatever the result, this decision shows that OpenAI is taking the initiative to protect the integrity of its core concept amid the intense competition to capitalize on OpenAI’s success.
