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ITC Institutes 2 Separate Section 337 Cases on Imported Audio Players

The International Trade Commission has opened two Section 337 investigations on imported audio players and components (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1329, -1330). The investigations follow two separate complaints, filed Aug. 9 by Google, which alleged that Sonos' audio players infringed on…

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seven of Google's patents covering speech recognition and hot word detection on multiple devices (see 2208120036). Sonos asked the ITC to merge the complaint with another by Google, which alleged infringement of four separate patents. Alternatively, Sonos asked the commission to consolidate the resulting investigations if and when they are instituted, arguing “significant overlap” between the two complaints (see 2208240043). The commission has so far declined to do so, assigning a separate administrative law judge to each case. The investigation is the latest in a series of ITC and court battles between Google and Sonos.