Protecting Future AI Products: A Holistic IP Approach

Join us for Protecting Future AI Products: A Holistic IP Approach, an event on Tue, May 13, 2025 at 7pm at SEMI, 567 Yosemite Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035. (Also available via Zoom - see https://californiaconsultants.org/event/protecting-future-ai-products-a-holistic-ip-approach/)

We'll have free quality pizza and drinks starting at 6:30pm. Come early and network with our members, other engineers, interested parties, and possible consulting clients.

The recent DeepSeek event and the 99% decline in Large Language Model (LLM) pricing over just two years both highlight the accelerating commoditization of AI. While the widespread availability of low-cost or free foundation models benefits companies deploying AI, it also raises concerns about how software companies can sustain profit margins in an increasingly competitive landscape.

This challenge ties into broader IP protection issues, particularly as AI rapidly advances toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The shifting IP landscape—where copyright protections for AI models and AI-generated software may be significantly weaker than those for traditional software—poses additional hurdles. Companies seeking to impose downstream restrictions, such as preventing model output scraping or unauthorized model distillation, must navigate these complexities carefully.

In this talk, IP attorney Fredrick Tsang will examine these issues through the lens of IP protection strategies, including contractual safeguards, copyright considerations, and patent law. A wide audience will find this talk of interest because of the growing importance of AI in the world today, and the many areas of AI that Tsang will address.

Speaker Bio:

Fredrick Tsang is an IP attorney at Fenwick & West, a Silicon Valley-based law firm specializing in advising technology and life sciences clients. He combines technical expertise with legal acumen to guide clients through complex IP protection challenges and emerging AI legal issues. Having hands-on experience in training neural networks and developing patent portfolios for leading AI companies, Fredrick offers a nuanced approach that bridges technology and law. His advisory style leverages deep technical knowledge to assess how evolving AI innovations impact legal frameworks in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Host or Publisher IEEE - Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley (CNSV)