On October 5 and October 9, 2007, Fitch, Even partner Stephen Favakeh and senior associate Joel Bootzin conducted an in-house seminar for the firm's attorneys to explain and provide strategies for addressing the new U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rules that were to go into effect on November 1, 2007. The new rules are directed to continuation practice, claim number limits, requests for continued examinations, and the filing of multiple applications for an invention. In a lawsuit against the USPTO, the United States District Court for the Eastern District Court of Virginia issued a preliminary injunction on October 31, 2007 that blocks implementation of the new rules pending further judicial review of their legality. Fitch, Even will continue to monitor the litigation and other developments relating to the proposed rules.