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A focus on multinationals: Whistleblower incentives on the international stage

Client Alert | 1 min read | 08.05.21

2020 was one of the first years in memory when many multinationals saw a reduction in the number of internal whistleblower complaints, and a sharp increase in the number of external whistleblower complaints. In this environment, several countries around the world are finding ways to incentivize external whistleblower complaints, including—following the United States’ lead—providing bounties tied to money that governments recover as a result of those complaints. In this article by Crowell & Moring Partner Preston Pugh and Incoming 2022 First Year Associate Danielle Alvarez, part one of a two-part series, we discuss the development of these laws and the specific types of complaints whistleblower bounty laws cover. In part two, we will provide recommendations on how multinationals can best prepare for these developments.

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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)....