JAKARTA - Some time ago, the smart device company, Sonos, sued Google for violating a patent on its smart speaker product.
As a result, the United States (US) International Trade Commission has approved Sonos' claim that Google has infringed on five patents for the speaker and the author.
The decision will take effect in August, meaning Google will be banned and stop importing products that use Sonos' intellectual property. Since Google manufactures its products in China, it means that Google will no longer be able to ship them to the US once the import ban takes effect within 60 days.
Sonos sued Google in 2020 over five patents, covering one technology that allows wireless speakers to sync with each other. Affected products include Google Home smart speakers, Pixel phones and computers, and Chromecast devices.
A Google spokesperson said that the tech giant does not expect the decision to interfere with its ability to import and sell devices.
"While we disagree with today's decision, we appreciate that the International Trade Commission has approved our modified design," a Google spokesperson said.
"We will seek further review and continue to defend ourselves against Sonos' frivolous claims about our partnership and intellectual property."
The US Trade Commission did not challenge the alternative design in its final decision, which means Google could still use it, just not on the technology.
In fact, the Nest team recently announced several changes, the most notable of which is that, going forward, users will no longer be able to adjust the volume of all speakers in a group at once. They have to adjust each speaker individually.
In a statement, Sonos Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus acknowledged that it is possible, "Google will be able to downgrade or remove product features in a way that circumvents import restrictions that the ITC has imposed," Lazarus said.
However, he said the tech giant's product would still infringe on dozens of Sonos patents, unless Google paid Sonos royalties for the technology.
Lazarus appreciates that the ITC has definitively validated the five Sonos patents at issue in this case and determined firmly that Google infringed all five. It was a very rare overall win in patent cases and underscores the strength of Sonos' broad patent portfolio.
"This Sonos patent includes Sonos' groundbreaking discoveries of highly popular home audio features, including settings for controlling home audio systems, multiple speaker synchronization, independent volume control of multiple speakers, and speaker stereo pairs," explains Lazarus.
"But even though Google may sacrifice the consumer experience in an effort to circumvent this import ban, its products will still infringe on many of Sonos' patents, the fault will persist, and Sonos' costs will continue to grow. Or, Google could, as other companies have done. pays fair royalties for the technology it has abused," he added.
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