A federal judge with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has made a preliminary ruling in the case pitting smart speaker specialist Sonos against Google, saying Google infringed five Sonos patents, Engadget reported. The ruling validates all five claims. The judge said Google should not be allowed to import devices that violate the intellectual property of Sonos. A final ruling still has to happen before measures can be ordered. A meeting on the matter is scheduled for 13 December.
Sonos said it was satisfied with the decision. “We are pleased the ITC has confirmed Google's blatant infringement of Sonos' patented inventions," said Sonos chief legal officer Eddie Lazarus. "This decision re-affirms the strength and breadth of our portfolio, marking a promising milestone in our long-term pursuit to defend our innovation against misappropriation by Big Tech monopolies."
Google rejected the claims. "We do not use Sonos' technology, and we compete on the quality of our products and the merits of our ideas," a Google spokesperson said. "We disagree with this preliminary ruling and will continue to make our case in the upcoming review process."
Sonos filed a patent infringement suit against Google in January 2020, saying the company used patented technology related to Sonos speakers without a proper licence agreement. Sonos alleged Google violated five of its speaker patents and said it was is looking for a ban on the sale of Google speakers, smartphones and laptops in the US, as well as financial compensation. Google countersued Sonos, claiming the company had been using its search, software, networking and audio processing technologies without paying the proper licensing fees. Sonos then filed a second suit, in September 2020, alleging Google infringed more patents.
