Google Slam Dunks Sonos Accusing Them Of Spreading ‘False Rumours’
First up it was struggling sound Company Sonos who tried to sue Google, now the big search engine has responded by claiming Sonos is spreading false claims in the market and that it was Google who actually helped Sonos develop technology found in their latest speakers.
This is the same sound Company who took on Denon and Sound United claiming that the HEOS technology infringed on their Sonos technology patents.
Sonos even filed a claim to extend damages and even went so far as to ask for ‘enhanced’ damages due to the infringement being seen as “wilful” only for Sonos to walk away from the fight with the owners of Denon & Marantz weeks out from floating the Company.
Back in January 2020 Sonos lodged filing patent-infringement complaints in federal court in Los Angeles and before the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, claiming Google is using Sonos’s patented inventions for multiroom audio technology.
Facing increased competition from tech giants such as Google and Amazon.com, Sonos is now coming over as desperate.
“Sonos has made false claims about the companies’ shared work and Google’s technology in the lawsuits,” the Alphabet the owners of Google said in a complaint filed last night in San Francisco federal court. “While Google rarely sues other companies for patent infringement, it must assert its intellectual property rights here.”
Sonos, the Santa Barbara-based pioneer of wireless speakers, is using Google’s patented technology for search, software, networking, audio processing and digital-media management and streaming, while refusing to pay a license, according to the lawsuit.
Sonos didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit.
When the issue first blew up Sonos claimed Google gained knowledge of the technology through a partnership to integrate Google Play Music into the Sonos platform, and then decided to cut its partner out and sell its own product line. Google ignored four different pleas to stop and has undercut Sonos on pricing to muscle it out of the market, Sonos said.
Google has denied infringing any Sonos patents, and claims they are invalid. It accused Sonos of revisionist history, saying it was the one that provided technical assistance to help Sonos develop its product.
“While we look to resolve our dispute, we will continue to ensure our shared customers have the best experience using our products,” said Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda.
Bloomberg said that Sonos is a niche player with a fraction of Google’s financial resources. Its best chance of a significant strike is its case at the trade agency in Washington, which is designed to protect U.S. markets from unfair trade practices, including the unauthorized use of American know-how, and works more quickly than federal courts.
Sonos is seeking to block imports of a wide range of Google products made in China, including the Home Max, Pixel 3 XL phone, Chromecast, and Nest Hub. A trial in the ITC case is scheduled for February. The civil suit in Los Angeles is on hold until the trade case is decided.
