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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 | 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)....