The US International Trade Commission has agreed with the claims of Sonos. The initial decision was issued back in August and this is the final decision on the matter. When the import ban takes effect in 60 days, it will not be possible for the products to be shipped to the US.
One of the patents that was sued by Sonos was about a technology that allows wireless speakers to sync with one another. The New York Times states that the products affected include the Home smart speakers, the Pixel phones and computers, and the Chromecast devices. The tech giant doesn't expect the ruling to affect its ability to import and sell devices.
The International Trade Commission has approved modified designs, the spokesman told Protocol. We will continue to defend ourselves against frivolous claims made by Sonos. The commission didn't challenge the alternative designs in the final decision, which means that they can be implemented by Google.
A recent legal ruling has led to some changes to speaker groups. Users will no longer be able to adjust the volume of all speakers in a group at the same time. Each speaker would have to be adjusted individually.
Eddie Lazarus admitted in a statement that there is a chance that the ITC will impose a ban on imports of products from Google. He said that the tech giant's products will stillinfringe many dozens of Sonos patents unless they pay royalties to the company.
His entire statement reads.
The ITC has confirmed that the five Sonos patents are valid, and that they were found to be valid by the ITC. That is an across the board win that is rare in patent cases and shows the strength of the patent portfolio of Sonos and the hollowness of the denials of copying by the internet giant. The set up for controlling home audio systems, the synchronization of multiple speakers, the independent volume control of different speakers, and the stereo pairing of speakers are covered in the patents.
The ITC has imposed a ban on the importation of products from the US, and there is a chance that the product features will be degraded or eliminated in a way that circumvents the ban. Even though Google may sacrifice consumer experience in an attempt to circumvent the ban, its products will still be in violation of many of the Sonos patents. Other companies have already paid a fair royalty for the technologies they have misappropriated.
This article was originally published on Engadget.
