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If there are many defendants, they could work together to find prior art. Crowdsourcing might also be an option - for example, ArticleOnePartners.com pays cash rewards to individuals who find prior art.

Mandatory arbitration (prior to trial) might also be an interesting alternative, especially with the burden of proof on the plaintiff.

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The lawyers for the patent trolls are smarter than that, they aren't going to start with dozens of defendants, they are going to start with one or two, bully them into settling, and then use those settlements as precedent when they go after 4 other people... and hey, their patent must be valid, because look at these two guys who are licensing it already.... then they go after the next group (expanding the net each time like they did in those old 'she'll tell two people' shampoo ads).

Precedent counts for a LOT when it comes to resolving any legal issues, even if the precedent is settling, and the trolls know that and use it.

Settlements might make it easier to bully others later, but they do not provide legal precedent. Only an actual court ruling does that. And as senior/superior a court as possible.

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