Google Owes Sonos $32.5M After Trial on Smart-Speaker Tech (2)

Alphabet Inc.’s Google must pay Sonos Inc. $32.5 million for using patented smart-speaker technologies without its former partner’s permission, a federal jury in San Francisco said Friday, ending one chapter of a sprawling global battle between the tech rivals.

The award could affect settlement discussions and influence Sonos’ ability to seek royalties from other companies that allegedly rely on the same technology. Jurors in the US District Court for the Northern District of California deliberated briefly on May 19 but paused for a week to accommodate the judge’s schedule.

They awarded Sonos a royalty of $2.30 per unit on more ...