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Defense Verdict in Security Contractor Trial Affirmed

Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.14.12

In U.S. ex rel. Davis v. U.S. Training Ctr., Inc., the Fourth Circuit upheld the jury verdict in favor of U.S. Training Center, Inc. (formerly part of "Blackwater"), represented by C&M, rejecting the allegations that USTC had submitted false claims regarding diplomatic security services in Iraq and Afghanistan. The court affirmed the district court's evidentiary rulings and denial of a motion for a new trial and held that the district court had not erred in granting partial summary judgment to USTC and summary judgment to the other defendants (all of whom were represented by C&M) on claims relating to a domestic security services contract with DHS awarded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.


Insights

Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25

Design Patent Application Drawings & Prosecution History Must Be Clear (Merely Translucent Won’t Suffice!)

Design patents offer protection for the ornamental appearance of a product, focusing on aspects like its shape and surface decoration, as opposed to the functional aspects protected by utility patents. The scope of a design patent is defined by the drawings and any descriptive language within the patent itself. Recent decisions by the Federal Circuit emphasize the need for clarity in the prosecution history of a design patent in order to preserve desired scope to preserve intentional narrowing (and to avoid unintentional sacrifice of desired claim scope)....