Sonos, a US manufacturer of networked, smart speakers, can claim another legal success in its patent feud against Google, which has been going on for years. A grand jury ruled Friday in a case in federal court for the district of Northern California in San Francisco that the internet giant infringed one of two disputed Sonos patents with its own smart speakers and media player software. At the same time, the jury set the damages that Google must pay to the competitor at a total of 32.5 million US dollars. That equates to $2.3 in royalties per smart speaker sold, based on an estimated sales figure of over $14 million.
Judge: “the worst in the realm of patent litigation”
From the allegation made at the same time that Google’s home app infringes another Sonos patent, the jury acquitted the big tech company. The responsible judge William Alsup, who has repeatedly had to deal with disputes between IT companies in nearby Silicon Valley, had the jury previously, according to one Report requested by the specialist service “Law360”., “disregarding a Sonos adjuster’s $90 million damages estimate.” He also ruled that some of the evidence presented was inadmissible.
According to Law360, Alsup expressed general frustration that this case went to court at all and that both sides could not reach an agreement. He described the dispute as “a symbol of the worst in the area of patent disputes”. The judge is said to have taken the technical jargon surrounding the disputed industrial property rights as a reason for critical comments and once asked the jury whether they had fallen asleep in the face of the boring topic.
Claim, counterclaim and further potential for conflict
The legal wrangling began in early 2020 when Sonos accused Google of for copying his patented multi-room audio technology. Both companies initially entered into a partnership in 2013. sonos won a first case before the U.S. International Trade Commission in early 2022. This ruled that Google had infringed five of the plaintiff’s patents and imposed a limited import ban on some of the affected devices. Google has also had to remove some features from its lineup of smart speakers and displays, as well as find ways to circumvent the controversial tech.
The Internet company itself threw Sonos also filed a counterclaim in 2020 alleging infringement of five of its own patents. In August 2022, Google followed suit and accused the audio company of infringing on intellectual property rights relating to its own intelligent loudspeakers and voice control technology. This recent trial started in early May.
There is still potential for conflict between the ex-partners. “We are deeply grateful to the jury for their time and diligence in maintaining the validity of our patents and recognizing the value of the invention,” said Eddie Lazarus, Sonos General Counsel. to the online magazine “The Verge”. The decision again confirms that Google is violating “our patent portfolio” in series: Overall, the company assumes that the tech giant is violating more than 200 Sonos property rights. “It’s a tight argument about some very specific features that aren’t commonly used,” countered a Google spokesman. “We have always developed technology independently and entered the ring based on our ideas.” Check the next steps.
(tiw)