Person: The highlighted portion relates to the new joinder rules. What it doesn't say is that it reduces costs to the infringer and increases costs for the patent holder. Sweet! The software companies won that battle.
Dis-Joinder: A second litigation-focused issue that goes into force on the date of enactment is the new dis-joinder provision. Section 19 of the Leahy-Smith AIA bars a plaintiff from suing multiple defendants in a single lawsuit if the only justification for the joinder is that all defendants are alleged to have infringed the same patent. The law would also bar a court from consolidating cases for the same purpose absent waiver from the multiple defendants. The idea behind the provision is simply to raise the litigation costs of non-practicing entities who allege that their patents are being infringed by a broad spectrum of corporate defendants.
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