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7 February 2020PatentsEdward Pearcey

USITC investigates Google speakers after Sonos complaint

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) will begin an investigation into certain Google audio players and controllers following a complaint from rival smart speaker maker Sonos that the import of such products infringes its patents.

The USITC has voted to institute “an investigation of certain audio players and controllers, components thereof, and products containing the same”, based on a complaint filed by Sonos on January 7, it said in a statement.

Sonos requested that the USITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders. The USITC does occasionally issue exclusion orders, banning products from the US, if they infringe US patents, although companies often carry on importing the products by redesigning them (or at least some of the critical components) and thus avoid using the patented technology in question.

The USITC identified Google and Alphabet (a multinational conglomerate created in October 2015, and Google’s parent company) as respondents in the investigation.

“By instituting this investigation (337-TA-1191), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case,” the trade body said.

USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing.

The ALJ will then make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337. However, that initial determination is subject to review by the USITC.

At the time of last month’s complaint Sonos also filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Google in the US District Court for the Central District of California.

Sonos accused Google of copying its technology and “flooding the market” with cheap, infringing products in order to boost advertising revenues.

Sonos claimed that Google had rolled out a line of infringing products including Chromecast Audio, Google Home, and Nest Hub at subsidised prices in order to “lock in” revenues from e-commerce and advertising. Google has disputed Sonos’s infringement claims.

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More on this story

Patents
8 January 2020   Home speaker maker Sonos has accused Google of copying its technology and “flooding the market” with cheap, infringing products in order to boost advertising revenues.
Patents
4 March 2020   Google has hit back at what it calls home audio company Sonos’ “revisionist history” in a patent suit over Chromecast and Google Home.
Patents
17 August 2021   Google could be hit with an import ban as the US International Trade Commission seeks public views on a preliminary ruling that the tech company infringed Sonos’ patents.