Google fined $32.5 million for violating Sonos patent
พฤษภาคม 27, 2023 12:39
A federal jury in San Francisco California has ruled that Google has infringed a Sonos patent. The jury then fined the company $32.5 million. The patent relates to grouping and synchronizing speakers.Sonos already accused Google in 2020 of copying its patented technology for multiroom audio. This synchronization technology allows several speakers to play the same audio at the same time - without delay. Google would have acquired the knowledge for this technology through a previous collaboration between the companies. However the legal battle between the companies is not one-sided: Google has in turn Sonos sued for a patent infringement concerning its voice control.
The jury had already determined that earlier versions of products such as the Chromecast Audio and Google Home speaker infringed Sonos' multi-room patent . According to the jury however more recent updated products also infringe this patent. Google must therefore pay $ 2.30 for each device sold that infringes the patent. It concerns more than 14 million devices so the fine is $ 32.5 million. In total Google allegedly infringed six patents according to Sonos but the other five patents have been "rejected as invalid or not infringed" according to the tech giant.Sonos already won a case at the International Trade Commission in the United States in 2022. Google was then imposed a limited import ban preventing the company from importing products into the United States that infringe Sonos' patent. Google then had to remove some functions from its range of smart speakers and smart screens.
