Claim Accrues Before an Impasse
Client Alert | 1 min read | 09.28.11
In Sys. Dev. Corp v. McHugh (Fed. Cir., Sept. 26, 2011), the Federal Circuit rebuffed a contractor’s attempt to save its claim for equitable adjustment from the six-year statute of limitation by arguing that, because it was combined with a termination proposal, the claim did not accrue until they had reached an impasse on the termination. This puts contractors at risk for losing claims that they might, for business or other reasons, initially decide not to pursue but might later want to advance, e.g., to combat a loss ratio application in a termination setting.
Contacts
Insights
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).
Client Alert | 5 min read | 11.26.25
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.25.25
Brussels Court Clarifies the EU’s SPC Manufacturing Waiver Regulation Rules
Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.24.25
