Google Infringed on Sonos Speaker Technology, Trade Court Rules

A US trade court blocked Google from importing goods that infringe on Sonos' smart-speaker patents. The US International Trade Commission upheld an August ruling that Google's audio products infringed on five Sonos patents, and barred the company from importing "networked speaker devices" and devices that may control them, such as smartphones and laptops. According to the verdict, Google will be allowed to import devices that it has altered to avoid infringing on patents.

According to a Google representative, the ruling will have no impact on the company's capacity to import or sell its products. The business stated, "We will seek additional review and continue to defend ourselves against Sonos' false accusations concerning our relationship and intellectual property." Sonos' Chief Legal Officer Eddie Lazarus hailed the decision as a "all-around" victory, claiming that Google's products continue to infringe on the patents despite the company's efforts to build around them.