Denon vs. Sonos reaches settlement, HEOS line will go on unchanged
Denon says its "direction with HEOS is unchanged" after resolving its Sonos patent infringement case, which began four years ago.
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Denon's parent company Sound United has announced it has reached a settlement with Sonos over potential patent infringement by Denon's HEOS wireless speakers.
Sonos sued Denon back in 2014 as it said the HEOS lineup was too similar to Sonos' own and infringed on at least four of its patents.
"Our direction with HEOS is unchanged, and we'll continue providing amazing-sounding solutions globally while furthering our vision of delivering joy to the world through sound" Kevin Duffy, CEO of Sound United, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Sound United confirmed that the HEOS range will remain unchanged, though either Sonos nor Sound United have released the terms of the agreement.
Sonos posted a blog late on Friday that said, "D&M approached us with what we believed was a fair and favorable resolution. We're excited to close this chapter successfully with this settlement."
Sonos is due to announce its newest product in early June -- tipped to be a voice-operated update to the Playbar -- while Denon's last HEOS-branded product was the HEOS AVR announced in March 2017. Meanwhile, most Denon and Marantz receivers now offer HEOS compatibility.
First published May 18, 2018.
Update, May 21: Added comment from Sonos.