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Set-Aside Decision Doesn't Require Responsibility Determination

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 01.30.14

In Adams & Assocs., Inc. v. U.S. (Jan. 27, 2014), the Federal Circuit affirmed that, when applying the "Rule of Two" in a small business set-aside determination, the contracting officer needs only a "reasonable expectation" that at least two responsible small businesses would submit offers and is not required to undertake a responsibility determination pursuant to FAR 9.104-1. This establishes a relatively low threshold of market research under the "Rule of Two" and confirms that a contracting officer need not collect information on factors such as capability, capacity, and past performance on small businesses at the acquisition planning phase of a procurement.

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.30.25

Are All Baby Products Related? TTAB Says “No”

The United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB or Board) recently issued a refreshed opinion in the trademark dispute Naterra International, Inc. v. Samah Bensalem, where Naterra International, Inc. petitioned the TTAB to cancel Samah Bensalem’s registration for the mark BABIES' MAGIC TEA based on its own BABY MAGIC mark. On remand from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the TTAB reconsidered an expert’s opinion about relatedness of goods based on the concept of “umbrella branding” and found that the goods are unrelated and therefore again denied the petition for cancellation....