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Bloomberg Law

The AI Patent Litigation War Hasn’t Started—But It’s Coming Fast

May 21, 2026
Although AI-related patent filings have surged dramatically over the past two decades, patent litigation involving AI technologies has not yet kept pace, a trend the article suggests may mirror the delayed wave of smartphone patent litigation that followed the technology’s commercial growth. In this piece for Bloomberg Law, Sidley partner Alexis Cohen argues that AI companies should begin preparing now for increased future litigation by evaluating and strengthening their intellectual property protections, including patents and trade secrets, while also improving documentation, ownership records, employee agreements, and internal processes.

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