Google claims Sonos has infringed on its patents for voice control and smart speakers.

Recently, Google has been locked in a ongoing legal skirmish with tech manufacturer Sonos. Sonos has claimed in several suits that Google infringed on their various patents in the creation of smart speaker technology and features. Google has fired back with their own accusations of infringement, particularly in the most recent lawsuit.

Google sues Sonos over smart speaker and voice control tech https://t.co/aJQgeO2Xi8 pic.twitter.com/271itweLzX

— The Verge (@verge) August 8, 2022

Google has launched yet another lawsuit against Sonos, this time claiming that they infringed upon seven of their tech patents, particularly hotword detection and wireless charging.

Google spokesperson José Castañeda told The Verge that the purpose of the lawsuits are to “defend our technology and challenge Sonos’s clear, continued infringement of our patents.” Castañeda added that Sonos had “started an aggressive and misleading campaign against our products, at the expense of our shared customers.”

Google and Sonos are now fighting over voice assistant patents https://t.co/jXatXRgr8H pic.twitter.com/EiuoyLX3zG

— Engadget (@engadget) August 9, 2022

Sonos has already filed a countersuit. Eddie Lazarus, chief legal officer at Sonos, told The Verge in a separate interview that his company has written off Google’s claims as an “intimidation tactic” meant to “retaliate against Sonos for speaking out against Google’s monopolistic practices” and “grind down a smaller competitor.”

Both lawsuits were filed this morning in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.