Go Ahead and Offer the Senator a Cup of Coffee
Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 02.21.08
As detailed in the attached bullet analysis, the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, in response to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (“HLOGA”), published new guidance concerning the gift exceptions for items of little intrinsic value and food offered other than as part of a meal. Although the Senate clarifications arguably clear up very little, they are a good reminder that it is time to update company codes of conduct and compliance manuals in light of the many new requirements established by HLOGA.
Insights
Client Alert | 2 min read | 11.14.25
Claim construction is a key stage of most patent litigations, where the court must decide the meaning of any disputed terms in the patent claims. Generally, claim terms are given their plain and ordinary meaning except under two circumstances: (1) when the patentee acts as its own lexicographer and sets out a definition for the term; and (2) when the patentee disavows the full scope of the term either in the specification or during prosecution. Thorner v. Sony Comput. Ent. Am. LLC, 669 F.3d 1362, 1365 (Fed. Cir. 2012). The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Aortic Innovations LLC v. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. highlights that patentees can act as their own lexicographers through consistent, interchangeable usage of terms across the specification, effectively defining terms by implication.
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.14.25
Microplastics Update: Regulatory and Litigation Developments in 2025
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.13.25
