Where Will The Physical AI Patent Wars Begin?

[Updated and Expanded from Where Will the Automotive Patent Wars Begin? (2020)]

The next autonomy patent wars may not be confined to cars. As AI moves into drones, robots, defense systems, warehouses, and industrial equipment, the collision between software, sensors, connectivity, and physical control may create new licensing and litigation flashpoints.

Introduction

In 2020, we published “Where Will the Automotive Patent Wars Begin?”, an article examining where the autonomous vehicle patent wars would begin and suggesting that the first disputes were more likely to come from new entrants, cross-border competitors, and licensing negotiations than from traditional automakers. That question now needs to be asked with a much wider lens.