Google Barred by US Trade Court From Importing Products Infringing Sonos’ Patents

Sonos' Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus called the ruling an "across-the-board" win.

By Reuters | Updated: 8 January 2022 12:23 IST

Google Barred by US Trade Court From Importing Products Infringing Sonos’ Patents

Sonos has been trying to block Google from importing Home speakers and Pixel phones from China

Highlights

Sonos alleged Google misused its technology
Sonos' stock was up 1.5 percent in late morning trading on Friday
Google alleged Sonos used "substantial volumes" of its technology

A US trade court barred Google late Thursday from importing products that infringe home-audio company Sonos' smart-speaker patents.

The US International Trade Commission affirmed an August decision that Google audio products infringed five Sonos patents and banned Google from importing "networked speaker devices" and devices that can control them like mobile phones and laptops.

The ruling says Google won't be barred from importing products that it had redesigned to avoid infringing the patents. A Google spokesperson said it does not expect the decision to affect to its ability to import or sell its products.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

"We will seek further review and continue to defend ourselves against Sonos' frivolous claims about our partnership and intellectual property," the company said.

Sonos' Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus called the ruling an "across-the-board" win and said Google's products still infringe the patents despite its attempts to design around them.

Sonos' stock was up 1.5 percent in late morning trading on Friday, having earlier risen more than 3 percent.

Sonos Roam Portable Smart Speaker With IP67 Build Launched in India

The parties have been embroiled in a global patent war over multi-room audio technology since 2020 that includes court cases in California, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, according to a Sonos regulatory filing.

Sonos first sued Google in Los Angeles, alleging the company misused its technology in "more than a dozen different infringing products", including Google Home speakers and Pixel phones, tablets, and laptops.

Google responded with its own lawsuit in San Francisco, alleging Sonos used "substantial volumes" of its technology without permission for several products, including controller apps and its Sonos Radio service.

Google Infringed Five Sonos Patents, US Trade Judge Finds

At the ITC, Sonos had been trying to block Google from importing Home speakers, Pixel phones, and other products from China.

Xiaomi India speaks exclusively to Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, on their plans for 2022 and pushing for 120W fast charging with the 11i HyperCharge. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.