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Government Liable For Foreign Sub's Patent Infringement

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 01.06.04

In Zoltek Corp. v. U.S. (Dec. 9, 2003), Zoltek sued the Government for alleged infringement of a Zoltec process patent for making carbon sheet fiber by a Japanese subcontractor to Lockheed Martin on the F-22 program. The Court of Federal Claims held that, notwithstanding the restriction in 28 U.S.C. §1498(c) precluding recovery for "any [patent] claim arising in a foreign country," Zoltek could recover because such unauthorized use constituted a taking under the fifth amendment that was actionable under the Tucker Act.

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Client Alert | 2 min read | 06.15.26

Kansas Federal Court Applies “Selective Enforcement” Theory to Reject DTSA Claim

A Kansas federal court held that inconsistent enforcement of trade secret rights can defeat a claim under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA). In Edelman Financial Engines, LLC v. Mariner Wealth Advisors LLC, No. 2:23-cv-02515-HLT (D. Kan. June 5, 2026), the court applied a selective enforcement theory, holding that when a company does not consistently pursue legal remedies against similarly situated former employees, that inconsistency can be affirmative evidence that it failed to protect its trade secrets. While the selective enforcement theory has appeared in academic hypothetical discussions, the decision appears to be one of the clearest judicial applications of a “selective enforcement” theory in a trade secret case....