Google slams Sonos over ‘revisionist’ patent claims
Google has hit back at what it calls home audio company Sonos’ “revisionist history” in a patent suit over Chromecast and Google Home.
In January, the smart speaker manufacturer accused Google of “ flooding the market” with loss-leading products that copied Sonos’ patented technology.
According to Sonos, Google gained access to the tech when collaborating with Sonos to integrate its Google Play Music service with Sonos home speakers.
In a response filed earlier this week at the US District Court for the Central District of California, Google said that “Sonos’s complaint uses revisionist history to attack Google’s innovative software and hardware products”.
“Google did not obtain ‘deep’ access to Sonos technology and then develop the Google products at issue; in fact, Google launched Chromecast before Google and Sonos ever agreed to collaborate,” the complaint added.
According to Google, Sonos asked for its assistance in integrating the two company’s products in 2013 and 2016.
“Sonos seems to think no good deed should go unpunished. In exchange for the assistance Sonos received from Google to help improve Sonos’s products, Sonos now sues Google asking for damages and an injunction,” the Google filing said.
Google also claimed that the five patents asserted by Sonos were “obvious and dated” by the time the applications were filed.
“The five asserted patents describe older technologies–not the advanced technologies Google uses,” the company claimed.
The US International Trade Commission last month launched an investigation into Sonos’ claims against Google.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox.
Today's top stories:
S&P Global sues call centre group for trademark infringement
Already registered?
Login to your account
If you don't have a login or your access has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to gain access to this article, including all our online content.
For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us.
To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.
For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk