The US International Trade Commission has ruled that Google infringes five Sonos patents related to smart speakers (via The New York Times). The verdict upholds an August judge’s verdict and could force Google to stop importing products that use counterfeit technology.
Itis still unclear whether certain Google products will necessarily drop from the shelves. In fact, Google spokesman José Castañeda suggests that the company’s customers “would experience no disruption” through the decision.
Bloomberg reported in September that Google may have software solutions for Sonos’ patents, and Sonos itself admits that Google may “downgrade or remove the functionality of the product in a way that circumvents the ITC’s import ban”.
There are signs that this has already started: 9to5 Google reported in November that Android 12 was removing the ability to control Chromecast volume, and a person suspected of being a Google employee citing a “legal issue” as the reason for removing the feature. (One of the five infringing patents specifically relates to adjusting the volume of devices on a local network).
According to Mishaal Rahman, the volume control function has already appeared on some Pixel phones as part of the January 2022 update.
Two of the other patents relate to synchronizing multiple devices on a network; One is to first configure a playback device (e.g. a WiFi speaker) for network communication.
Initially, Sonos asked ITC to take action on all types of Google devices, including not just the company’s Google Home smart speakers, but Pixel phones as well. We asked Google and Sonos whether the import (and thus the sale) of certain devices could actually be blocked due to the bug and will inform you about the feedback.
Either way, this is a big blow to Google’s hardware sector, which has become increasingly important in the smart home space, including smart speakers, cameras, and most importantly WiFi routers, where the company claimed that its Google WiFi / Nest WiFi is the best-selling router on be the market in 2019.
