US Judge Rules Google Infringed On 5 Sonos Patents

A US judge has ruled that Google infringed upon the patents of high-tech speaker and audio technology company Sonos.

According to an initial ruling from a US International Trade Commission (ITC) judge, Google infringed on five Sonos patents.

“We are pleased the ITC has confirmed Google’s blatant infringement of Sonos’ patented inventions. 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,” Sonos Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus told TechCrunch on Friday.

In January last year, Sonos sued tech giant Google for allegedly copying its wireless speaker design, urging the International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban Google products like laptops, phones and speakers.

Related: Google Countersues Sonos In Patent Case

Sonos CEO Patrick Spence testified before the US House antitrust committee that Google “blocked the company from enabling both Amazon’s Alexa assistant and the Google Assistant from being active at the same time”.

Google said in its countersuit that “while Google rarely sues other companies for patent infringement, it must assert its intellectual property rights here”.

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