Dennis D. Crouch

Dennis D. Crouch
  • Patent Law
Associate Professor

BSE cum laude (1997), Princeton University
JD cum laude (2003), University of Chicago Law School

  • Phone Number: (573) 882-6530
  • Room Number: 309 Hulston Hall
  • E-Mail Address:
  • Patently-O Blog: http://patentlyo.com/
  • Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Professor Crouch is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Missouri School of Law. Prior to joining the MU Law Faculty, he was a patent attorney at McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP in Chicago, Illinois, and taught at Boston University Law School. He has worked on cases involving various technologies including computer memory and hardware, circuit design, software, networking, mobile and internet telephony, automotive technologies, lens design, bearings, HVAC systems, and business methods. He is also the editor of the popular patent law weblog: Patently-O .

Professor Crouch received his BSE in mechanical engineering cum laude from Princeton University, where he also earned a certificate in engineering management systems. He then earned his JD cum laude from the University of Chicago Law School. While at the University of Chicago, he was a Microsoft, Merck, & Pfizer scholar and a member of the Olin program in law and economics.

Prior to attending law school, Professor Crouch worked as a technical consultant for manufacturing firms in New England, as a research fellow at NASA's Glenn Research Center, as a software developer at the Mayo Clinic's department of biomedical imaging, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, West Africa. Dennis Crouch grew up on a farm near Pittsburg, Kansas.

Recent Publications

Academic Journals

A Trademark Justification for Design Patent Rights, __ HARVARD JOURNAL OF LAW AND TECHNOLOGY __ (forthcoming 2012).
| SSRN |

Book Review: Reviewing Part III of Innovation for the 21st Century: Harnessing the Power of Intellectual Property and Antitrust Law, 61 ALABAMA LAW REVIEW 587 (2010).
| Westlaw | Keycite ® | LexisNexis | Shepard's ® | HeinOnline |

An Empirical Study of the Role of the Written Description Requirement in Patent Prosecution, 104 NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW COLLOQUY 382 (2010).
| SSRN | LexisNexis | Shepard's ® |

Is Novelty Obsolete? Chronicling the Irrelevance of the Invention Date in U.S. Patent Law, 16 MICHIGAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY LAW REVIEW 53 (2009).
| SSRN | Westlaw | Keycite ® | LexisNexis | Shepard's ® | HeinOnline |

Additional Publications

Broadening Federal Circuit Jurisprudence: Moving Beyond Federal Circuit Patent Cases, 2010 PATENTLY-O PATENT LAW JOURNAL 19 (2010).
| SSRN | online |

Working Papers

Understanding the Role of the Board of Patent Appeals: Ex Parte Rejection Rates on Appeal, University of Missouri School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2009-16 (2009).
| SSRN |