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Right now, Google is involved in a landmark antitrust case that’s been going on for some time. The search giant has had to face testimony from several individuals and companies that want to see it downsized. Well, audio brand Sonos is on the search giant’s case for a different reason; patent infringement. Sonos wants to continue its courtroom battle with Google after a disappointing ruling on Friday.
What is the battle about?
Sonos is facing off against Google over supposed patent infringement. The former is a brand that’s known for its audio equipment. Moreover, it frontiered the ability to sync its speakers so that you’re able to listen to the same content over multiple speakers. This was the main selling point of its devices besides the incredible audio quality.
Well, Sonos alleges that Google had copy-catted the company and used its technology in its Nest speakers. In a statement to The Verge, spokesperson Erin Pategas said, “We have proven that Google — a latecomer — has infringed on our invention of foundational customer experiences including setting up and syncing speakers, as well as other important features like group volume and stereo pairing.”
These are some rather innovative and useful features that the company is talking about, and it wants compensation from Google. However, Sonos stated another motive that fueled this lawsuit. It’s also standing up for smaller companies.
In case you don’t know, Google is a big company- a BIG company. It’s monumental enough to throw its weight (and billions of dollars) around to rush to the top of any market that it pleases. This is why it’s in a massive antitrust case.
Well. Sonos wants to fight for smaller companies that want to break into a market without the threat of being trampled by large companies like Google.
Lastly, Sonos also wants to create a revenue stream from companies that use its patents. Basically, it wants to establish a royalty system.
Sonos is NOT satisfied with the recent ruling
Right now, Sonos is not only fuming at Google. On Friday, US District Judge William Alsup tossed out a ruling that would have granted Sonos a large and lucrative victory. This would have granted the company $32.5 million in damages. So, it’s obvious that the company is not happy.
However, Alsup brought up the point that Sonos took quite some time to bring Google to court over this matter. Google’s speakers have been on the market for a while, and the company has hesitated until just recently to take any action on it. That seems to be the main reason as to why Alsup chucked Sonos’ verdict.
Alsup even went as far as to say that Sonos’ lawsuit is “emblematic of the worst of patent litigation.” The amount of time it took Sonos to open the case is what cost the company the victory.
Sonos is not giving up on this court battle against Google
That was a major blow to Sonos’ case but not its confidence. While the company’s shining victory was thrown out in one courtroom, that doesn’t mean that the legal battle is over. The company still has cases open against Google in other countries. So, Sonos hopes to score some victories in those countries and push its fight along. “We remain confident we will continue to prevail in our efforts against Google’s infringement,” said Sonos.
The company is vehemently against larger corporations stepping on the little guy, and you can hear that laced throughout its arguments. However, we can’t deny that a major part of its case is to protect its property.
Meanwhile, Google has been restoring the functionality that it had to strip away because of the case. This is a quick reaction to the ruling turnover, and it seems that Google is confident that it’s heard the last from Sonos. However, the question remains if that’s true. From the way it sounds, Sonos will not give up the fight to hold Google accountable. The fight rages on!
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