Thursday, a The US International Trade Commission, which oversees import controls, confirmed that Google has trademarks violating technical patents held by the well-known Sonos company, Sonos’ biggest victory in the two-year trial of David v. Goliath. The Commission alleges that Google violated five Sonos Patents, and issued a “separate law” banning the import of certain word technologies, modifications, and tools developed by Google.
Google, not surprisingly, says he is not backing down: He is planning to appeal, and has 60 days to do so before the ITC ruling begins. Sonos, meanwhile, has two separate antitrust lawsuits against Google pending before the federal court. “The two pending cases are significant, because the ITC has no jurisdiction to pay the fines,” said Peter Toren, an attorney general in Washington, DC.
But Google clearly expects this to be the result of an ITC review, because in August 2021 the company showed remodeling of several items to ITC judge Charles Bullock, who confirmed that the measures he intended to take were carried out no breach of Sonos patents. In the wake of yesterday’s ITC ruling, Google shared some of the changes it is making to its smart speakers.
Then why they do The ITC ruling, which has the potential to ban the export of certain content unless Google does not comply, affect what has happened? First, the updates that Google will release apply to Google’s smart speakers and Nest Hub displays. Google has not provided the full list of affected devices, so it is unclear how this might affect other Google products, such as Pixel phones or Chromebooks. These changes will happen “in the coming days,” said spokeswoman Nicol Addison. And in the meantime, all updates are based on software.
Google says the ability to change the voice of the group is eliminated; customers now need to adjust the volume of each speaker individually. And, “you will no longer be able to adjust the volume of your Group Speakers using the volume button of your phone,” the company says. Throw-in will also apply to non-Google devices with a built-in Chromecast, such as those made by Lenovo or JBL, unless the speakers are updated to the latest firmware. And some users will no longer have software updates on their smart speakers; instead, they need to download and install the Device Tool. This will “ensure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi and receive the most up-to-date application,” says Google.
This may seem like a small adjustment, but a major part of the interest of smart wireless speakers – the Sonos market aided the pioneers when it was established 20 years ago – I was able to coordinate multiple speakers and direct them simultaneously. Some of the easy-to-use features will be eliminated with these updates.
The ITC decision could also affect Google’s future design. And many changes could come, depending on the results of federal lawsuits. (One of these, filed with the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, is pending until the ITC verdict is finalized, According to The New York Times. Another lawsuit, filed with a U.S. district court judge in San Francisco, continues.)