Sonos has won an important victory in its ongoing legal fight with Google. A federal judge from the US International Trade Commission (ITC), made a preliminary ruling on Friday regarding a complaint Sonos had filed against Google in the early 2020. The complaint claimed that Google had infringed five of its patents. The judge ruled that Google should not be allowed import devices that infringe Sonos' intellectual property."Today, the ALJ found that all five Sonos asserted patents were valid and that Google has infringed on all five patents. Eddie Lazarus, chief legal officer at Sonos, stated that the ITC confirmed Google's blatant infringement of Sonos' patent inventions. "This decision affirms the strength of our portfolio and marks a promising milestone for our long-term pursuit of innovation protection against misappropriation from Big Tech monopolies."The New York Times points out that the judge's decision may not be final. Before it can impose any remedial measures, the entire ITC body must make a final decision. The December 13th meeting is not scheduled. This will likely take place in a few months.Jos Castaeda, a spokesperson for Google, stated that Sonos' technology is not used by them. He said that they compete on the quality and merits of their products. "We disagree with the preliminary ruling and will continue to present our case during the upcoming review."Sonos sued Google for the first time in 2020. The company was accused of copying many of the technology that were most important to Sonos' speakers, such as its Trueplay tuning device. Companies often use simultaneous ITC complaints in patent disputes to force their opponent to hand over. The body is more efficient than traditional courts and tends to resolve issues faster than traditional courts. Google counter-sued Sonos, alleging that the company was using its search, software and networking technologies without paying proper licensing fees. Later that year, Sonos filed another suit.
