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Full-Text Articles in Law

A Definite Claim On Claim Indefiniteness: An Empirical Study Of Definiteness Cases Of The Past Decade With A Focus On The Federal Circuit And The Insolubly Ambiguous Standard, Christa J. Laser Oct 2010

A Definite Claim On Claim Indefiniteness: An Empirical Study Of Definiteness Cases Of The Past Decade With A Focus On The Federal Circuit And The Insolubly Ambiguous Standard, Christa J. Laser

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This empirical study of patent claim definiteness cases of the past decade makes several novel findings including: (1) slightly more than half of final Federal Circuit definiteness cases hold the asserted claims not indefinite; (2) the percentage of non-Federal Circuit definiteness cases holding claims not indefinite increased approximately 60 percentage points over the ten-year period focused on in this analysis;(3) the Federal Circuit more often held chemical claims not indefinite, but electrical claims indefinite; and (4) the Federal Circuit more often held claims with term clarity issues not indefinite, but claims with means-plus-function issues indefinite. These differences partially result from …


Engagement's Possibilities And Limits As A Socioeconomic Rights Remedy, Brian E. Ray Jan 2010

Engagement's Possibilities And Limits As A Socioeconomic Rights Remedy, Brian E. Ray

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This Article first analyzes the Constitutional Court of South Africa's three engagement decisions. It then divides engagement into two different categories--litigation engagement and political engagement--and offers suggestions for transforming the process into a more effective remedy in each category. Drawing on the work of Charles Epp, this Article argues that political engagement, if structured correctly, offers the greatest potential as an effective mechanism for enforcing socioeconomic rights. Realization of that potential will require a sustained commitment by civil society organizations active in socioeconomic rights issues and a shift from using engagement as a litigation tactic to using it as a …


Residents Of Joe Slovo Community V Thubelisha Homes And Others: The Two Faces Of Engagement, Brian E. Ray Jan 2010

Residents Of Joe Slovo Community V Thubelisha Homes And Others: The Two Faces Of Engagement, Brian E. Ray

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

The Constitutional Court of South Africa's "engagement remedy," at its core, is a simple requirement that government consult with residents before evicting them, as engagement offers a creative and flexible tool for advocates of socio-economic rights to enforce these provisions through both political and legal channels. Absent adequate court oversight, engagement can easily turn into nothing more than a requirement that government inform residents of its redevelopment plans. The Constitutional Court in Joe Slovo recognised these two ‘faces' of engagement and strengthened the remedy by adding components that increase the transparency of the process and enhance court control. This note …