Patent subject matter eligibility often seems to overshadow the America Invents Act of 2011 of late despite the controversies over inter partes reviews, but patent attorney Robb Roby told BioWorld that the most important provision of the landmark patent reform legislation may be the provision for prioritized examination. In some instances, this fast-track program has led to a grant of patent in substantially less than a year, a feature Roby said provides a critical turn-around for small companies trying to sustain their appeal to venture capitalists.

The U.K. government has doubled down on its overarching strategy for artificial intelligence (AI) with a 10-year plan to sustain the nation’s place in the global AI race. One of the key considerations in this plan is to revisit the criteria for status as an inventor, a clear nod to the dilemma presented by proponents of allowing the DABUS algorithm to be named as an inventor.