University of MissouriMU School of Law

Faculty & Scholarship

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Dennis D. Crouch

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  • 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/

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

The Patent Lottery: Exploiting Behavioral Economics for the Common Good, 16 GEORGE MASON LAW REVIEW No. 1 (2008).
| SSRN | Westlaw | Keycite ® | LexisNexis | Shepard's ® |

Working Papers

The Rising Size and Complexity of the Patent Document, U of Missouri-Columbia School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2008-04 (2008)
| SSRN |