Santa Barbara-based speaker maker Sonos has sued Google for patent infringement.
As reported by The New York Times, the lawsuit ‘seeks unspecified financial damages, as well as a ban on sales of Google’s speakers, smartphones, and laptops in the United States’.
Patrick Spence, Sonos’ CEO since 2017 following the departure of former CEO and founder John McFarlane, told the Times that “Google has been blatantly and knowingly copying our patented technology”.
“Despite our repeated and extensive efforts over the last few years, Google has not shown any willingness to work with us on a mutually beneficial solution,” he addd. “We’re left with no choice but to litigate.”
According to the report, ‘Sonos sued Google over only five patents, but said it believed Google and Amazon had each violated roughly 100′.
Sonos execs said they ‘couldn’t risk battling two tech giants in court at once’, adds the article, which is why the company has decided to sue only Google.
Speaking to the Times, a Google spokesperson said: “We dispute these claims and will defend them vigorously”.
An Amazon representative also disputed the allegations, telling the Times that “the Echo family of devices and our multiroom music technology were developed independently by Amazon”.Music Business Worldwide
