In two lawsuits (PDF) filed today in California, Google claims that Sonos’ latest voice assistant technology infringes on seven Google Assistant-related patents. CNET reports: Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said Sonos “has launched an aggressive and misleading campaign against our products at the expense of our common customers.” As a result, he said, the lawsuits were filed to “protect our technology and challenge Sonos’ apparent ongoing infringement of our patents.” Sonos launched its own voice assistant in June, allowing customers to control their speakers with voice commands that start with the phrase “Hey Sonos.”
In the lawsuits, Google said it made its technology available to users around the world, “even providing Google Assistant software to Sonos for years.” The lawsuits also said that Google has been working with Sonos engineers for years to “implement voice recognition and voice-based device controls in Sonos products.” Google is seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages and an injunction blocking Sonos’ alleged infringement. Last year, the International Trade Commission ruled that Google infringed on five patents owned by Sonos, forcing Google to change the way it configures and controls smart speakers.
“Google has sued us all over the world in the past, and Sonos has won every case it’s settled,” Eddie Lazarus, Sonos’ chief legal officer, told CNET, adding that the new lawsuits “are an intimidation tactic designed to retaliate against Sonos for speaking out vs. Google’s Monopolistic Practices’ which ‘will not succeed’.
