Yes, independent implementations of patented works are covered by the patent. BUT: patents are far more specific than just "a neural network to decode low-bitr

Yes, independent implementations of patented works are covered by the patent. BUT: patents are far more specific than just "a neural network to decode low-bitrate speech data with as much fidelity as possible to the original)". Starting with that goal, you are unlikely to recreate WaveNet's specific structure that is patented. In fact, WaveNet describes a more general method to efficiently work with sound signals, somewhat comparable to convolutions for images. It's also not impossible to work with sound using alternative MM structures that are not patented, and might actually perform better than WaveNet.