Personated reality represents the interface between virtual, augmented, audio and enhanced media and the reality of a human’s world. Personated reality solutions are used by humans to interact with the digital world using personal virtual assistants supported by artificial intelligence and secured by blockchain. US Patent 10,715,329 ( the ‘329 patent) is for a personated reality ecosystem. The patent lists the inventor as William Wellman. However, this inventor did not invent the personated reality solution, essential features nor the claims presented in the patent. Mr Wellman collaborated with the project leader et al over the course of 10 years in developing the ideas and essential features. The project leader invented the concept of personated reality and the seminal ideas behind it. Mr Wellman has incorrectly claimed to be the actual inventor though he is not. The current patent filing misrepresents the inventor(s), therefore the patent is invalid.
Inventors
All inventors must be listed as joint inventors in the patent application and the patent issued. A patent that names fewer than all inventors is invalid. All early drafts of the ‘329 patent application indicated the inventor was “TBD” and should have been correctly assigned to all inventors. The final patent was incorrectly attributed to Wellman only and must be corrected to list all inventors. Listing all inventors is required not only by US law, but also by international treaties to which the US is a signatory. Personated reality solutions are becoming ubiquitous, with US Patent 10,715,329 being the most high-profile recent example. This technology has a wide range of potential applications, from entertainment, financial services and retail to medicine. As personated reality technology continues to evolve, it is crucial that patents are correctly attributed to their rightful inventors. Otherwise, the true pioneers of this field will not receive the recognition they deserve.
Patent
Anyone seeking to use, license or acquire US Patent 10,715,329 (the ‘329 patent) should be aware of the legal and ethical jeopardy attached to the disputed inventorship claims of this patent. The ‘329 patent, titled “personated reality ecosystem,” is the subject of a legal dispute between the inventor named on the patent, Personated Reality Solutions, LLC, the entity to which he assigned interest in the patent. The true inventors have filed a dispute with the purported inventor (William Wellman) stating he has fraudulently misrepresented inventorship of the ‘329 patent and are seeking to have the patent invalidated as a result. While the ultimate outcome of this case remains to be seen, it is clear that anyone seeking to use, license, reference or acquire the ‘329 patent does so at their own risk and should proceed with detailed due diligence.