Smart speaker maker Sonos sued Google in federal court and brought a complaint before the U.S. International Trade Commission claiming the tech giant stole patented technology.
Sonos alleges in the lawsuit that it shared patented technology with Google back in 2013 in order to make Google services compatible with Sonos technology. From there, the lawsuit alleges that Google retained the technology for its own use and has engaged in unfair competitive practices against Sonos since then. The suit aims to stop to the sale of some of Google’s smart products, including speakers, phones, and other devices.
Sonos alleges in the complaint that “As early as 2013, Google gained knowledge of Sonos’s patented multiroom technology through a partnership with Sonos to integrate Google Play Music into the Sonos platform. However, just two years later in 2015, Google began willfully infringing Sonos’ patents when it launched its first wireless multi-room audio product – Chromecast Audio. Since 2015, Google’s misappropriation of Sonos’ patented technology has only proliferated, as Google has expanded its wireless multi-room audio system to more than a dozen different infringing products, including, for example, the Google Home Mini, Google Home, Google Home Max, and Pixel phones, tablets, and laptops.”