Welcome to Skilled in the Art. I'm Law.com IP reporter Scott Graham. Here's what's cracking this week:

• Let's hear the arguments for allowing artificially intelligent machines to be named inventors on patents, from the law professor who'll be presenting the case next month.

• One of the first patent trials of the pandemic era is being appealed to the Federal Circuit next month, and each party is accusing the other of unfairly playing on COVID-19 anxieties.