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Dennis Crouch, the Judge C.A. Leedy Professor of Law at Mizzou Law, presented twice at the annual meeting of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) in Chicago. His first presentation was delivered to a specially convened group of chief intellectual property counsel. The talk was derived from an ongoing research project on the role of myth and legend within intellectual property law. This talk used a Jungian frame to highlight a key shadow many attorneys face – that of perfection – and how it limits both our creativity and power. In the talk, Professor Crouch relied on the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus as well as the Brothers Grimm tale of Iron John to highlight the competing elements within everyone, and their impact on people’s lives as attorneys.
For his second presentation, Professor Crouch jumped into an ongoing debate in patent law regarding “continuation practice” that permits patent owners to modify their patent even a decade after filing the original application. The practice is widespread but facing increasing scrutiny, including from some judges who are looking for doctrinal tools to limit the practice.