TechCrunch: Is Big Tech Bad at Business by Andrew Langer
Google suffered a major defeat in its legal battle with Sonos in August, when a U.S. International Trade Commission judge ruled that Google infringed on five of Sonos’ audio technology patents. If the ruling is upheld, Google could pay hundreds of millions and face a ban on importing everything from Pixel smartphones to Nest speakers.
This isn’t a trivial development. It’s the latest in a string of lawsuits and complaints intended to stop Big Tech from pilfering IP from smaller companies.
In recent years, Big Tech firms have increasingly infringed on smaller rivals’ IP. Those smaller firms have started fighting back — and now the largest tech companies could face tens of billions in court-ordered damages and legal fees.