Amazon ordered to pay $46.7m over voice software
Delaware jury rules Amazon infringed four patents | VoiceBox accused Amazon of patent infringement with the Alexa and Echo products | Company’s Cybermind speaker was built in 2001.
Amazon has been hit with a $46.7 million damages verdict in its dispute with VoiceBox Technologies over voice software technology.
The US District Court for the District of Delaware jury found yesterday, November 8, that Amazon had committed willful infringement of four of VoiceBox’s patents.
Washington-based VoiceBox filed its complaint in October 2019.
The lawsuit alleged that Amazon violated VoiceBox's patent rights in the development and implementation of its Alexa virtual assistant and Echo product line.
VoiceBox claimed to have invented 'Echo-like' products long before Amazon and owns the US patents: 8,073,681; 9,015,049; 9,626,703; 7,818,176; 8,886,536; and 9,269,097.
These patents are seen as fundamental to the development of voice commerce technology.
The complaint alleged that VoiceBox’s opportunities to promote and build a business based on these patents were “crushed” when Amazon introduced the Echo and Alexa Products and used its “enormous size and clout to poach dozens of VoiceBox Technologies’ engineers and scientists”.
Cybermind speaker built in 2001
VoiceBox created its early prototype voice-controlled speaker, Cybermind, in 2001.
It gained recognition when Toyota hired the company to build a natural-language understanding speech interface for its Lexus automobiles—a personal assistant called Alexus.
The suit also alleged that meetings between VoiceBox and Amazon occurred in 2011, where VoiceBox presented its patented technology.
Despite positive feedback, Amazon allegedly decided to build its Alexa products without obtaining permission from or informing VoiceBox.
Additionally, Amazon hired Philippe Di Cristo, VoiceBox’ chief scientist, in 2016, who was alleged to have played a crucial role in incorporating VoiceBox's tech into the Alexa products.
The counsel for VoiceBox was Ian Liston, Edward Poplawski, Erik Carlson, Ryan Benyamin, James Yoon, and Ryan Smith from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
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