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10PatentTrollsContinuedfromPage7TheseandsimilarjudicialpronouncementsareoftenviewedastheFederalCircuitsowneffortsatpatentreformintendedtorationalizepatentdamagesandcurbexcessivedamagesawardsattributedtothePAEphenomenon.JoinderofDefendants.PAEscangainsignificantleveragebysuinginasinglelawsuitmultiplede-fendantsthatsellsimilarproducts.BroadjoinderfavorsthePAEplaintiffbyallowingittominimizelitigationcostswhilemaximizingthepotentialset-tlementamountsordamagesawards.ButastheFederalCircuithasnotedbroadjoindercanpreju-dicedefendantsforexamplebyunfairlyreducingthetimeeachdefendantisgiventopresentitsnon-infringementdefenses.15The2011AmericaInventsActAIAsoughttoredresstheinequitybyforbiddingmultipledefend-antsfrombeingsuedinasingleinfringementactionunlesstheclaimsagainstthemrelatetothesameproductorprocess.Inpracticehoweverthesalu-taryeffectofthischangecanbebluntedbycourtsbroadlatitudetomanagetheircases.Asamatterofjudicialeconomyandefficiencymostcourtsfacedwithaseriesofnewfilingsinvolvingthesamepa-tentsareconsolidatingtheseparatecasesforallpre-trialproceedings.16Onecourtrecentlysuggestedconsolidationmightevenextendtoajointtrialoncommonissuesleavingonlytheinfringementdeter-minationforseparatetrials.17AsapracticalmattersuchconsolidationcanleavePAEswithmostoftheleverageandefficienciestheyenjoyedbeforetheAIA.PatentProsecution.Foratleastthepastdecadeboththenumberofpatentapplicationsandthenum-berofpatentsissuedhassteadilyincreased.Asaconsequencepatentexaminersmayhavelesstimetoscrutinizeeachapplicationacircumstancethatmaybeexacerbatedbytheeffectsofthecurrentse-quester.Thepatentofficeisattemptingtoaddresstheproblembyincreasingitsexaminerscorpsbywellover1000examiners.18Neverthelessinevita-blysomepatentsissuethatshouldnot.Infacttheproblemmaybegettingworse.Arecentstudyindi-catesthattheallowancerateforpatentapplicationshasincreasedsharplyoverthelastthreeyearssug-gestingaloweringofthestandardsforgrantingpa-tents.19Giventhestrongcorrelationbetweenthenumberofpatentsgrantedandthenumberofpatentinfringementcasesfiledsimplyputmorepatentsmeansmorelitigationthismayleavebusinessesfacingsomethingakintoaperfectstormanin-creasingquantityofpatentlitigationandadecreas-ingqualityinthepatentsasserted.20JudgeRichardPosneroftheSeventhCircuitwhosometimessitsbydesignationinpatentactionsintheDistrictCourtrecentlyspokepubliclyonthisissuesug-gestingthatthePTOdoesapoorjobofevaluatingpatentstoomanypatentsaregrantedandthepre-sumptionofvalidityshouldbeeliminated.21Oneparticularlytroublingproblemispatentswhoseclaimlanguagevaguelydelineatesthescopeofthepatentcoverage.22SomePAEsareabletoexploitvaguepatentsbyassertingthemagainstproductsthatbearnorelationtowhatwasactuallyinventedanddescribedinthepatents.Vaguepatentsincreasethelikelihoodofexpensivelitigationandraisethespecterofpatenteesreapinginfringementdamagesforproductsoutsidethescopeofthepatentedinven-tion.Byfailingtogivebusinessespropernoticeoftheirscopevaguepatentsalsohamperbusinessesabilitytoavoidwastingtimeandresourcesdesign-ingandsellingpotentiallyinfringingproducts.Alt-houghtheUSPTOnowallowsthepublictosubmitpriorartinconnectionwithpendingpatentapplica-tionsifthescopeofanapplicationisvagueorunre-latedtoitswrittendescriptionthepublicwilllikelyfinditdifficultifnotimpossibletoidentifyitasacandidateforsuchpre-grantsubmissions.Asimilarproblemmaydiminishtheutilityofpost-grantre-viewgiventhetimelimitofninemonthstofilebusinesseswilllikelyhavedifficultyidentifyingwhichpatentstochallengeparticularlyifthePAEwaitsninemonthstofilesuit.WhatevertheirflawsormeritsitisasafebetthatPAEsarenotgoingaway.AtthesametimetrialcourtsareincreasinglywillingtoimplementContinuedonPage11