Google is currently embroiled in a legal battle against Singular Computing, a company founded by computer scientist Joseph Bates, who claims that Google infringed on his company’s patents related to the processors used in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Singular Computing is seeking $1.67 billion in damages from Google.
During the trial in Boston, Singular Computing’s lawyer, Kerry Timbers, argued that Google copied Bates’ patented technology after multiple meetings with him where they discussed his innovations. Bates’ computer-processing innovations were incorporated into Google’s Tensor Processing Units, which are instrumental in supporting AI features in various Google products, including search, email, and translation services.
Internal emails presented as evidence showed that Google employees were aware of Bates’ ideas and viewed them as valuable for their AI development. However, Google’s lawyer, Robert Van Nest, countered that the employees who designed the chips never met Bates and created them independently. Van Nest accused Bates of being a “disappointed inventor” who failed to convince other companies, including Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI, to use his technology.
Google introduced its processing units in 2016 to enhance AI capabilities such as speech recognition and content generation. Singular Computing alleges that versions 2 and 3 of these units, introduced in 2017 and 2018, violate their patents.
Apart from the ongoing trial, Google has also appealed to a U.S. appeals court in Washington to invalidate Singular Computing’s patents in a separate case brought before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The outcome of this lawsuit will have significant implications for the technology industry, as it highlights the importance of respecting intellectual property rights in the development of AI technology. Both Google and Singular Computing await the verdict eagerly as the trial progresses.
The source of the article is from the blog radiohotmusic.it