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Relaxation Of Requirements = Out-Of-Scope Mod

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 06.22.05

In Poly-Pacific Technologies, Inc. (June 1, 2005 http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/296029.pdf), GAO found that an agency's modification that relaxed the requirements of an existing contract amounted to an improper out-of-scope modification and that the agency was required to have conducted a new competition. This decision shows that "cardinal" modifications can occur with relaxations, as well as expansions, of requirements.

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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)....