Google vs Sonos patent war rages on after ruling; Google reportedly violating import ban
Patent infringement cases seem to be a part of daily life for big tech companies, including Google and Apple. And it so happens that sometimes the big tech giant loses the fight, as was the case in the Google vs Sonos patent infringement lawsuit. Now, however, TechRadar reports that some Google products continue to infringe some Sonos patents, and the wireless home speakers company is not happy.
According to Paul Thurott, US Customs Service has found Google guilty of breaking an import ban that was previously imposed by the International Trade Commission (ITC). This ban was imposed after the Mountain View tech giant was found continuing to infringe on five Sonos patents.
The US Customs Service has confirmed that Google was bypassing an import ban and was still importing patent infringing products, stated Sonos Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus. He also added that Sonos remains committed to defending their intellectual property, on behalf of their technology as well as on behalf of innovation.
In case you don't know, this legal war has been going on since 2020. Back in January of 2020, Sonos initially sued Google, claiming key elements of its multi-room technology have been stolen after a partnership in 2013.
Then, this year, again in January, the ITC ruled in favor of Sonos. Then Google was faced by an import ban on a number of Google key hardware products including Nest, Pixel, and Chromecast.
Shortly after, Google began introducing workarounds to the import ban via software updates for a wide range of its product. Of course, as you might imagine, some of those software updates were actually quite user-unfriendly.
One of the changes was a degrading of Google's smart home devices and speakers volume control, and because of this software update (might we say, downgrade), people needed to adjust individual volumes of all units in a Speaker Group one by one.
However, despite this effort by Google, the company was still found to infringe on at least two Sonos patents on devices that continued to be imported after the ban was put in place.
And now, Sonos instists even more downgrades are needed by Google. Basically, a Sonos representative told Thurott that either Google degrades its customer experience even more on infringing products, or seeks a fair licensing agreement with Sonos if it wants to avoid further import exclusions.
"The U.S. Customs Service confirmed that Google audio players are not subject to an importation ban. This decision temporarily impacts a small number of Pixel users who set up a speaker or display for the first time with the Device Utility App. We will work with them to minimize disruption. Our support teams are on hand to fix any issues they have and if needed, we will send replacement devices or offer a Google store credit. Over the years, we have worked hard to make sure that our shared customers would have a positive experience and are disappointed that Sonos continues to use the legal system in a way that deliberately creates issues for these users."
It is still unclear how this latest development will affect Google's home speakers and devices and generally, Google users. We will have to wait and see what happens.
The legal battle between Sonos and Google rages on
According to Paul Thurott, US Customs Service has found Google guilty of breaking an import ban that was previously imposed by the International Trade Commission (ITC). This ban was imposed after the Mountain View tech giant was found continuing to infringe on five Sonos patents.
Then, this year, again in January, the ITC ruled in favor of Sonos. Then Google was faced by an import ban on a number of Google key hardware products including Nest, Pixel, and Chromecast.
Shortly after, Google began introducing workarounds to the import ban via software updates for a wide range of its product. Of course, as you might imagine, some of those software updates were actually quite user-unfriendly.
However, despite this effort by Google, the company was still found to infringe on at least two Sonos patents on devices that continued to be imported after the ban was put in place.
And now, Sonos instists even more downgrades are needed by Google. Basically, a Sonos representative told Thurott that either Google degrades its customer experience even more on infringing products, or seeks a fair licensing agreement with Sonos if it wants to avoid further import exclusions.
Google's side also had something to say, and Google spokesperson José Castañeda told TechRadar:
"The U.S. Customs Service confirmed that Google audio players are not subject to an importation ban. This decision temporarily impacts a small number of Pixel users who set up a speaker or display for the first time with the Device Utility App. We will work with them to minimize disruption. Our support teams are on hand to fix any issues they have and if needed, we will send replacement devices or offer a Google store credit. Over the years, we have worked hard to make sure that our shared customers would have a positive experience and are disappointed that Sonos continues to use the legal system in a way that deliberately creates issues for these users."
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