Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
Google has been ordered to pay $32.5 million to the Santa Barbara-based Sonos for infringing one its wireless audio devices.
A San Francisco federal jury made their decision on May 26 in one of two lawsuits between Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, and the local smart-speaker company.
The two companies were former collaborators who worked together to integrate Google’s streaming music service into Sonos speaker products. Althought in 2020, Sonos first sued Google for patent infringement alleging the massive tech company copied Sonos technology in their Google Home and Chromecast Audio products.
The Santa Barbara company won a limited import ban on some Google devices from the International Trade Commission (ITC) last year. It’s currently under appeal from Google.
Google has since counter-sued with its own patent lawsuits accusing Sonos of using Google technology in its speakers which the local company has called an “intimidation tactic.”
The most recent lawsuit ended in Sonos’ favor with the jury finding Google guilty of infringing on one of Sonos’ two patents.
Sonos had previously asked the court for damages up to $3 billion, but a U.S. District Judge reduced the claim to $90 million.
The final $32.5 million settlement will be owed to Sonos by Google; the latter made a net profit of $58.6 billion last year.
