OpenAI, a leading AI company backed by Microsoft, has faced a setback in its attempt to register the term GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) as a trademark. The US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has rejected OpenAI’s application, stating that the acronym is widely used in the software industry to identify a specific type of software with AI ask and answer functions based on pre-trained data sets.
Despite OpenAI’s argument that consumers may not immediately understand the meaning of the acronym GPT, the US PTO’s decision highlights the common usage of the term in the software sector. The PTO emphasized that buyers are accustomed to recognizing GPT as a descriptor for software featuring AI technology for ask-and-answer capabilities.
The rise in popularity of generative AI technology has led to the inclusion of GPT in the names of several AI companies’ products. OpenAI, in particular, gained recognition for its ChatGPT model, which mimics human-like responses to user prompts. The company began referring to its custom chatbots as GPTs and recently introduced its text-to-video generation model named Sora.
Overall, the US PTO’s refusal to register GPT as a trademark underscores the widespread usage and understanding of the term within the software industry, despite OpenAI’s efforts to secure exclusive rights to the acronym. This development sheds light on the evolving landscape of AI technology and intellectual property rights in the digital age.
