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DOD Revises IP Commercial Item Rules

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 09.21.11

On September 20, 2011, DOD issued a final rule amending DFARS Part 227 and the associated clauses to eliminate the presumption of development at private expense for commercial items (other than commercially available off-the-shelf items) for major systems or subsystems. However, the implementation of this rule introduces great uncertainty as to the government’s rights to commercial item technical data and commercial computer software when there has been even a minimal government investment, particularly as it relates to the applicability of commercial licenses and marking 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)....