The PTAB may join only parties, not issues, to existing proceedings.
Key Points:
..A party may no longer join additional issues to a pending IPR.
..Defendants are most likely to be affected when more than one year has passed since being sued, at which point they can no longer file an IPR petition without a motion for joinder.
..The decision effectively overrules the PTAB’s Precedential Opinion Panel on this issue.
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