Sonos has won the lawsuit it filed against Google in January 2020. The American audio company will ensure that the Alpahblet subsidiary it infringed up to five patents related to its smart speakers. The decision, as comments The New York Times, has been ruled by the United States International Trade Commission, who in August 2021 already agreed – albeit in a preliminary way – with Sonos, ensuring that Google used the technology developed by the audio firm.
Now, Google has 60 days to remove features that were developed thanks to patents that Sonos registered in 2013. One of the most notable changes is that users with multiple Google smart speakers they will no longer be able to control the volume of all of them at the same time. Instead, they will have to do it individually.
Due to a recent court ruling (Sonos), we are making some changes to the way you configure your devices […]. If you use the Speaker Group feature to control volume in the Google Home app, by voice using the Google Assistant, or directly from your Nest Hub screen, you will notice some changes.
Secure Google in a post.
In addition, the possibility of adjust the audio level with the physical keys of the smartphone – again, a Sonos patent – will also not be available. On the other hand, and as confirmed by Google, some users will also have to use an external app called “Device Utility”. This will only be used to configure and update your smart speakers.
What will happen to Google’s smart devices and speakers after Sonos’ victory?
While these changes primarily affect Nest-branded devices, they will likely apply as well. to other products designed by GoogleSince some of them, such as Pixel smartphones or PixelBook laptops, also infringe on Sonos patents, according to the company. But will Google stop selling those smart devices manufactured thanks to these patents?
The Mountain View firm does not anticipate carrying out the primary objective of Sonos. The company, in particular, requested that Google will stop marketing those smart devices that violate your brand patents. However, being forced to remove some of the key features of its smart devices is already a major blow to the Mountain View company. Sonos, for its part, maintains that Google could continue to use the functions if they pay “a fair royalty for the technologies that have been misappropriated,” according to Eddie Lazaro, the company’s legal director, in a recent statement.