An initial court ruling from the International Trade Commission (ITC) has found that Google has infringed on five of Sonos’ patents relating to smart speakers.
According to The Verge, Sonos says “the ruling is only a first step in a lengthy battle [but it is an] important milestone in the ongoing effort to defend Sonos’ technology against Google”.
The legal battle began in January last year when Sonos announced it was suing Google for infringing five of its wireless audio patents across the Nest and Chromecast product lines.
This is not the only legal case between the two tech giants. Google has filed a countersuit against Sonos, claiming that the company had made misleading statements about their history of working together. Shortly after, Sonos accused Google of infringing on five more patents opening another lawsuit against Google.
Although the ITC has found that Google did violate the original five patents, this is not a final decision, which will take place on 13 December. The other lawsuits are still active.
Eddie Lazarus, chief legal officer for Sonos commented on the court’s ruling: “The ALJ has found all five of Sonos’ asserted patents to be valid and that Google infringes on all five patents. We are pleased the ITC has confirmed Google’s blatant infringement of Sonos’ patented inventions.
“This decision re-affirms the strength and breadth of our portfolio, marking a promising milestone in our long-term pursuit to defend our innovation against misappropriations by big tech monopolies.”