OpenAI’s Bid to Trademark “GPT” Rejected by Patent Office

• OpenAI’s bid to trademark “GPT” has been rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
• The Patent Office deemed the term too generic, citing widespread usage in technology.
• OpenAI may appeal the decision, and remains committed to securing trademark status for “GPT”.

OpenAI, a big tech company known for its smart AI creations like ChatGPT, recently faced a setback. OpenAI wanted to trademark the name “GPT,” which stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer.

This trademark would have given them exclusive rights to use the term. But the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) said no. They thought “GPT” was too common to be owned by just one company. They worried that if OpenAI got the trademark, it could stop others from using similar terms for their own AI tech.

Why Did OpenAI Want to Trademark “GPT”?

OpenAI believed that “GPT” wasn’t just a regular term. They thought it was special and not easy for everyone to understand. However, the PTO disagreed.

They said in the tech world, people see “GPT” as a general term for a type of software, not just something from OpenAI. Many other AI companies use “GPT” in their product names, like GPTZero, an AI detector startup.

Even though OpenAI has made famous models like GPT-3 and GPT-4, the PTO still said no to their trademark request.

What’s Next for OpenAI?

This isn’t the first time OpenAI has been turned down for trademarking “GPT.” It happened before in May 2023. Now, they might try again by appealing to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Even though OpenAI has created other AI models with different names like Sora, “GPT” is still closely linked to them. So, they’ll keep trying to own the trademark for “GPT” in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is OpenAI?

OpenAI is a prominent artificial intelligence research laboratory and company. It was founded in December 2015 and is based in San Francisco, California, USA. OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity.

Is “GPT” Trademarked?

No, GPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is not currently trademarked. OpenAI’s application to trademark “GPT” was denied by the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) due to its generic nature and widespread usage in the technology sector.

Can I Use the OpenAI Logo?

Generally, you would need permission from OpenAI to use their logo. They may have specific guidelines or requirements for the use of their logo, so it’s best to reach out to them directly to inquire about usage permissions.

Can You Use GPT in a Company Name?

While “GPT” itself may not be trademarked, it’s essential to consider potential trademark issues and the risk of confusion with OpenAI’s products and brand.