To beat a Dec. 1 change in rules that limit their shenanigans, patent trolls filed more than 200 cases in a single day. Joe Mullin:
The huge jump, and in particular the November 30 spike, is likely tied to significant changes in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for patent cases, which took effect on December 1. The changes by the Judicial Conference of the United States may require patent plaintiffs to provide more information in their lawsuits to survive a motion to dismiss. For now, the lenient “Form 18” has been eliminated in patent cases. That form allowed patent lawsuits to be filed without naming which specific claims were infringed, or naming a specific product accused of infringing. It isn’t clear what standard will replace the form.