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An Empirical Study Of The Role Of The Written Description Requirement In Patent Prosecution, Dennis D. Crouch
An Empirical Study Of The Role Of The Written Description Requirement In Patent Prosecution, Dennis D. Crouch
Faculty Publications
An en banc Federal Circuit is now considering whether Section 112 of the Patent Act as properly interpreted includes a written description requirement that is separate and distinct from the enablement requirement. Although the USPTO has no direct role in the infringement dispute, the government submitted an amicus curie brief arguing that a separate written description requirement is “necessary to permit the USPTO to perform its basic examination function.” However, when pressed during oral arguments the government could not point to any direct evidence supporting its contention.
This essay presents the results of a retrospective empirical study of the role …
Is Novelty Obsolete? Chronicling The Irrelevance Of The Invention Date In U.S. Patent Law, Dennis D. Crouch
Is Novelty Obsolete? Chronicling The Irrelevance Of The Invention Date In U.S. Patent Law, Dennis D. Crouch
Faculty Publications
This paper presents a normative study of patent applicant use of invention-date rights during ex parte prosecution.
The Patent Lottery: Exploiting Behavioral Economics For The Common Good, Dennis D. Crouch
The Patent Lottery: Exploiting Behavioral Economics For The Common Good, Dennis D. Crouch
Faculty Publications
Lotteries are immensely popular. Players are willing to give the organizer a large monetary cut of every ticket purchase in return for a chance at a jackpot. In some ways, our current patent system operates as a lottery as well. Most patents are relatively worthless, while a few are highly valuable. Reaching the major payout of a highly valuable patent takes perseverance in the face of tremendous uncertainty. Like lottery players, small entrepreneurial companies and individuals have shows signs of bounded rationality. In particular, what I call the patent lottery effect is associated with the phenomena of potential innovators overweighting …