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Constitutionality Of SDB Preference Still Undecided

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 07.12.05

Expressing some frustration, the Federal Circuit in Rothe Dev. Corp. v. Dep't of Def. (June 28, 2005) remanded to the district court a second time for a determination of whether the latest enactment of the small disadvantaged business evaluation preference is constitutional, despite the price percentage bonus currently being suspended. The Federal Circuit repeated that the district court must apply strict scrutiny and must review evidence as to what Congress considered in establishing the preference.

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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)....