Sonos sues Google over wireless speaker tech
Sonos says Google has flooded the market with devices that infringe on its technology.
Wireless speakers aren't all the same, but Sonos says Google's are too similar to its own in their underlying technology.
Home speaker company Sonos sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the search giant of infringing five of its patents, including its design for wireless speaker-to-speaker communication technology. Sonos is seeking financial damages and wants to stop sales of the allegedly infringing Google speakers, smartphones and laptops in the US.
In a complaint filed with the US District Court for the central district of California, Sonos said it shared its multiroom wireless speaker technology with Google in 2013 in order to integrate the platform with Google Play Music. Sonos said Google began infringing on the patent in 2015 with the launch of its multiroom home audio product, Chromecast Audio .
"Google's misappropriation of Sonos's 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," reads the complaint.
Sonos also said it warned Google of its infringement at least four separate times, dating back to 2016.
In a statement Tuesday, Google said it disputes the claims.
"Over the years, we have had numerous ongoing conversations with Sonos about both companies' IP rights and we are disappointed that Sonos brought these lawsuits instead of continuing negotiations in good faith," said Google spokesperson.
Sonos also filed its complaint with the US International Trade Commission, according to The New York Times.
