Google is fighting to overturn a revived $32.5 million patent verdict in favour of Sonos, arguing that jurors were improperly influenced by expert testimony they had been instructed to ignore in a closely watched smart speaker battle that has dragged on for years.

At the centre of the dispute are Sonos’ “Zone Scene” patents, technology covering the ability to create overlapping, synchronised groups of speakers across multiple devices, a feature widely used in Google Home and Chromecast products.

The legal clash stems from a May 2023 jury verdict that found Google infringed Sonos patents and ordered the tech giant to pay $32.5 million in damages, calculated at $2.30 per infringing speaker. But the case has since taken several dramatic turns.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup later scrapped the verdict, ruling Sonos had waited too long to pursue its patent claims. That decision was overturned earlier this year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which reinstated the jury’s findings and sent the case back to federal court in San Francisco for further proceedings.Sonos Era100 Pro

Now, Google is pushing for an entirely new trial.

Google attorney Mark Baily argued the original damages award was “grossly excessive” and claimed jurors relied on testimony they had specifically been told to disregard. He also said Sonos’ own licensing agreements with other companies undermined its argument for ongoing royalties and damages.

The case is the latest chapter in a bitter feud between the two Silicon Valley companies, after Sonos accused Google of exploiting confidential smart speaker technology shared during an earlier business partnership and incorporating it into Google’s own hardware ecosystem.

During the latest hearing, Sonos attorney Sydney Hecimovich defended the company’s litigation strategy, rejecting criticism that Sonos failed to seek a preliminary injunction earlier in the dispute.

“I think Sonos would love to have the resources and the ability to bring lawsuits against these other potential infringers,” Hecimovich told the court. “But that is just not the reality of the company.”

Google countered that the injunction sought by Sonos was overly broad, particularly because some of the products at issue, including certain Google Home devices, have already been discontinued.

Judge Beth Labson Freeman Kang also heard arguments over Sonos’ request for a new trial tied to one of its patent claims involving the so called ‘966 patent, after the company objected to jury instructions given during the original proceedings.

Kang declined to indicate how the court may rule, telling both parties only that the motions were being taken under submission.

“Orders will be submitted in due course,” the judge said.

The outcome could have major implications not only for Google and Sonos, but for the wider smart home industry, where multi room audio technology has become a cornerstone feature in increasingly competitive connected device ecosystems.