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24 September 2021PatentsAlex Baldwin

Jawbone sues Apple, Google over noise-cancelling tech

Former wearable tech start-up Jawbone has filed two patent infringement suits against Google and Apple, claiming it is entitled to royalties for its noise-cancelling technology.

The now-defunct company alleges that the two tech giants infringed on eight of its noise suppression patents with their earbuds, smartphone, wearables and smart home devices.

The allegedly infringing products include the iPhone 12 Pro Max, AirPods, Google Nest and Pixel Buds.

Jawbone filed the two lawsuits with the US District Court for the Western District of Texas on Tuesday, September 21, demanding a jury trial and enhanced damages for the counts of infringement.

Rise and fall

Jawbone pioneered noise-cancelling technology, originally founded in 1998 as AliphCom to develop a military headset that would “virtually eliminate” background noise whilst increasing the volume of the speaker’s voice.

Following its entry into the civilian market, AliphCom rebranded and attracted significant funding, raising close to a billion dollars in venture capital between 2011 and 2018, according to Crunchbase figures.

The technology was expanded into Bluetooth speakers and wearables in 2011, but due to the “intensely competitive marketplace”, was forced to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017—a last resort filing that liquidates all of a businesses assets, auctioning them off in order to pay creditors.

Apple and Google had the opportunity to buy Jawbone’s patents but declined, according to the complaints.

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More on this story

Patents
14 July 2017   A host of technology companies including Apple, Samsung, Google, LG and Fitbit have been identified as potential buyers of Jawbone’s US patents.
Patents
26 August 2016   Fitness tracker creator Jawbone has failed in its trade secrets and patent infringement claim against rival Fitbit.