by Emma Roth and Chris Welsh, The Verge, May 26, 2023
Jurors found Google products infringed on one of Sonos’ smart speaker patents, and said it should pay $2.30 for each of the more than 14 million devices sold.
Google has been ordered to pay Sonos $32.5 million for infringing on the company’s smart speaker patent. A jury verdict issued in a San Francisco courtroom on Friday found that Google’s smart speakers and media players infringed on one of two Sonos patents at issue.
The legal battle started in 2020 when Sonos accused Google of copying its patented multiroom audio technology after the companies partnered in 2013.
“This verdict re-affirms that Google is a serial infringer of our patent portfolio, as the International Trade Commission has already ruled with respect to five other Sonos patents. In all, we believe Google infringes more than 200 Sonos patents and today’s damages award, based on one important piece of our portfolio, demonstrates the exceptional value of our intellectual property. Our goal remains for Google to pay us a fair royalty for the Sonos inventions it has appropriated.” said Eddie Lazarus, Sonos’ chief legal officer and CFO, says in a statement to The Verge.
The decision will go down as an embarrassing defeat for Google, but both companies were the subject of blunt criticism from Judge William Alsup, who has presided over many tech company courtroom battles.
Eddie Lazarus is the Chief Financial Officer overseeing all the financial, accounting, corporate development, real estate, and investor relations functions within the company. He has also served as the Chief Legal Officer since 2019. He leads the company’s legal, intellectual property, corporate governance, SEC reporting, government affairs, regulatory and compliance activities. More info.
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