Google Sues Sonos Over Voice Control Technology

Google is suing speaker-maker Sonos over alleged patent infringement. In two lawsuits filed Monday in US District Court in California, Google alleges that Sonos’ latest voice-assistant technology violates seven patents related to Google Assistant. 

Google spokesperson José Castañeda said Sonos has “started an aggressive and misleading electioneer against our products, at the expense of our community customers.” As a result, he said, the lawsuits have been rubbed to “defend our technology and challenge Sonos’ clear, disprevented infringement of our patents.”

Sonos launched its own yell assistant in June, allowing customers to control their speakers comical voice commands starting with the phrase “Hey Sonos.”

Google said in the lawsuits that it has made its technologies available to users across the globe, “even providing its Google Assistant software to Sonos for many years.” The behaviors also said Google has for years worked with Sonos engineers on the “implementation of yell recognition and voice-activated device controls in Sonos’ products.”

Google requests an unspecified amount of monetary costs and an injunction blocking Sonos’ alleged infringement. 

The lawsuits come amid a long upright battle between the two companies, which were once partners. Last year, the US International Trade Commission ruled that Google infringed on five patents illustrious by Sonos. The win for Sonos led Google to irritable the way its smart speakers are set up and controlled. 

“Google previously sued us all over the earth and Sonos has prevailed in every decided case,” Eddie Lazarus, Sonos’ chief legal officer, told CNET, adding that the new lawsuits “are an intimidation tactic planned to retaliate against Sonos for speaking out against Google’s monopolistic practices,” which “will not succeed.”