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How the Substantial Increase in False Claims Act Penalties Affects the Litigation Landscape

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 08.01.16

On June 30, 2016, DOJ, pursuant to Congressional mandate, published an interim final rule nearly doubling the penalty range for violations under the civil False Claims Act. In a "Feature Comment” published in The Government Contractor, C&M attorneys analyze the new rule, the implications of dramatically increased penalty amounts on False Claims Act litigation, and the likely effect on federal government contractors.

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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)....