U to expand innovation support across West in partnership with USPTO; The University of Utah, February 19, 2026

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COMMUNICATIONS , The University of Utah; U to expand innovation support across West in partnership with USPTO

"The University of Utah has entered into a new agreement with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to host a community engagement office on the U campus, strengthening access to intellectual property (IP) education, resources, and expertise for students, entrepreneurs, businesses and communities across the Intermountain West.

Under the agreement announced Thursday by the USPTO, the U campus will provide a home for a USPTO presence in Salt Lake City, powering a hub for education and outreach under the Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022. The partnership allows the USPTO to immediately begin delivering vital services and building relationships that support innovation, economic growth and inclusive participation in the nation’s intellectual property system."

Professors Press SCOTUS to Affirm Copyright Protection for AI-Created Works; IP Watchdog, November 3, 2025

ROSE ESFANDIARI , IP Watchdog; Professors Press SCOTUS to Affirm Copyright Protection for AI-Created Works

"On Friday, October 31, Professors Shlomit Yanisky-Ravid, Lawrence Lessig and a number of other professors and researchers filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Dr. Stephen Thaler’s petition for a writ of certiorari in Thaler v. Perlmutter, urging the Court to grant certiorari and recognize copyright protection for works generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

The brief argued that “excluding AI-generated works from copyright protection threatens the foundations of American creativity, innovation, and economic growth,” warning that the lower court’s interpretation, which requires human authorship, disregards the “spirit of the Copyright Act.”"