House and Senate Pass Mental Health Parity Extension
Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 12.22.03
The House and Senate have each passed bills that would extend the applicability of the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 ("MHPA") an additional year. The Senate version, S. 1929, passed by unanimous consent. MHPA, the provisions of which appear in Section 702 of ERISA, was scheduled to expire as of December 31, 2003. MHPA requires group health plans to provide annual and lifetime limits on mental health benefits that are identical to those provided by the plan for major medical benefits. Small employers-generally those with 50 or fewer employees-are exempt from MHPA's requirements.
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
