Google And Apple To Face Lawsuit From Jawbone In Noise Cancelling Technology

The internet giants Google and Apple have to deal with another patent lawsuit. The now insolvent company Jawbone has opposed the two groups and sees rights violated in the noise-canceling technology it developed years ago.

As reported by Bloomberg, Jawbone has filed the lawsuit in the US federal court in Texas. According to the company, Apple and Google have infringed eight patents related to its noise-canceling technologies. The said noise-canceling technology was commissioned by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US military. Therefore, Jawbone can also be seen as a pioneer in this area. Noise-canceling is now used in many devices.

Jawbone bankrupted in 2017

However, Jawbone had to file for bankruptcy in 2017. After a legal dispute with Fitbit, the company was unable to generate sufficient sales to prevent liquidation. Since Fitbit has been bought by Google in the meantime, it is conceivable that the current patent lawsuit is an act of revenge. Google has announced that the company will defend itself against the allegations. There is still no statement from Apple. Jawbone is demanding royalties from the two companies for allegedly using proprietary noise-canceling technology.

According to the complaint, the technology is said to have been built into all models of iPhones , iPads, AirPods and HomePods. Google is said to have the patents with its smartphones, tablets, notebooks, earbuds, Violate smart home devices and other Android devices.

With federal court in Waco, Texas known for patent-friendly judges and juries, it makes sense that Jawbone filed the lawsuit here. It remains to be seen, however, whether the group will be right and be allowed to collect the license fees.