Google and Sonos have been locked in a long-drawn legal battle over patent infringement, with both parties suing each other over the years, but it appears that Sonos has finally gained an upper hand in that tussle. As per a report from The New York Times, a trade court has ruled that Google did violate laws by illegally using Sonos’ patented audio technologies used in smart home and audio devices.
Sonos has asked the federal agency to block all products that allegedly use its proprietary technology in violation of patent laws, and they include smart speakers under the Google Home and Nest family, Chromecast, Pixel phones, and even PixelBook computers. The commission’s ruling also directs Google to stop the sale of contentious products that it already has in its inventory on American soil.
It has been suspected – but not confirmed – that Android's implementation of remote volume button control of Cast devices was in violation of one of Sonos's audio patents, which may be why the feature was initially disabled in Android 12. The latest ruling is based on five key patents. The patents involve an audio device’s ability to pair up with more units for creating a stereo system.
An old feud nearing conclusion The roots of Google’s feud go far back. Sonos alleges that it shared details of its patented technology with Google in 2013, but the two companies reportedly couldn’t come to terms with licensing deals. Instead, Google started making its own smart home hardware under the Home brand two years after that — but there’s another twist here.