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COFC Denies Protest But Notes Possible Procurement Integrity And Antitrust Violations

Client Alert | 1 min read | 06.09.04

In Naplesyacht.com, Inc. v. United States, the Court of Federal Claims denied a protest despite finding that the Navy had abused its discretion in finding the two awardees' proposals technically acceptable, concluding that the protestor had not shown irreparable injury because its damage was limited to lost profit on one boat and because the Navy had assured the court that the awardees would have no advantage in follow-on competitions. However, the court took the unusual measure of providing its opinion to the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department, under seal, based on the proximity of the two awardees' prices, suggesting that one awardee had pre-bid knowledge of the other's proposal, in possible violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Section 423 of the Procurement Integrity Act.

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Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.26.25

From ‘Second’ to ‘First:’ Federal Circuit Tackles Obvious Claim Errors

Patent claims must be clear and definite, as they set the boundaries of the patentee’s rights. Occasionally, however, claim language contains errors, such as typographical mistakes or incorrect numbering. Courts possess very limited authority to correct such errors. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has emphasized that judicial correction is appropriate only in rare circumstances, where (1) the error is evident from the face of the patent, and (2) the proposed correction is the sole reasonable interpretation in view of the claim language, specification, and prosecution history. See Group One, Ltd. v. Hallmark Cards, Inc., 407 F.3d 1297, 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) and Novo Indus., L.P. v. Micro Molds Corp., 350 F.3d 1348, 1357 (Fed. Cir. 2003)....