Sonos and Google are certainly no longer close friends, because they are involved in a big patent dispute. So wait and see what the consequences will be.
Sonos and Google are in trouble. Well: they are arguing. The misery started when Sonos started a patent case against Google at the beginning of this year. In it, the manufacturer of smart speakers claimed that the search giant violated five patents. Including one that lets wireless speakers synchronize and communicate with each other. At the same time, a sales ban was requested on Google speakers, smartphones and laptops in the US. And then, of course, you can wait for a counteraction.
Google strikes back
In short: Google also started a lawsuit, but now against Sonos. And if they win it, the speaker manufacturer could have a nasty problem. This case goes to the heart of what Sonos loudspeakers are and do. Google claims that the speaker manufacturer does not pay licenses for essential things. And then they refer to all kinds of software, network communication, search, audio processing, digital media management and streaming. If the judge agrees, then Sonos is in trouble. But apparently these are calculated risks for Sonos. Because they’ve been on the warpath a long time.
Last June it started a case against the parent company of Lenbrook Industries, its direct competitor Bluesound. And a year earlier it was tried at Denon concerning the HEOS multiroom system. That case was settled outside the courtroom. It doesn’t sound really convenient and it doesn’t seem to enhance the reputation and image of Sonos either.