What it’s essential know
- Touchstream allegedly made the flexibility to share screens from smartphones to good TVs earlier than Google launched Chromecasts.
- The corporate claims the expertise was patented in 2010.
- Google launched the Chromecasts in 2013, apparently infringing Touchstream’s patents.
- Google denies claims and is able to enchantment the jury’s determination.
Google has apparently violated a software program developer’s patents associated to distant streaming expertise, and now the search large has been ordered to pay $338.7 million in damages, in accordance with Reuters.
On Friday, the decision got here from a federal Jury in Waco, Texas. The lawsuit dates again to 2021, filed by Touchstream, a New York-based firm alleging that its founder David Strober invented a expertise in 2010 that permits movies to maneuver from smartphones to bigger good TVs, which is principally what Google’s Chromecast does.
The search large launched Chromecast streaming gadgets in 2013 after reportedly expressing “no curiosity” in Touchstream’s expertise in 2011. In line with Touchstream’s criticism, Google’s merchandise seemingly infringe on at the least three of the corporate’s patents.
In line with Touchstream, this expands past the unique Chromecast and consists of Google gadgets like House and Subsequent audio system in addition to different good TVs that now have built-in Chromecast capabilities.
Nevertheless, it isn’t simply Google that the corporate is concentrating on, as Touchstream appears to have raised equivalent complaints with Comcast, Constitution, and Altice, the cable suppliers in Texas in 2023, that are mentioned to be pending.
As for this case, the jury dominated in favor of Touchstream and located Google’s Chromecast and different search large gadgets infringing patents of Touchstream Applied sciences.
Nevertheless, Google spokesperson Jose Castañeda mentioned the search large would enchantment the choice because it has “at all times developed expertise independently and competed on the deserves of our concepts.” In line with Reuters, Google had additionally denied that Touchstream’s rights had been violated and claimed that the patents had been invalid.
This is not the one time this 12 months Google has been ordered to pay up for patent infringement. Earlier this 12 months, a courtroom dominated in favor of Sonos following a long-time dispute over patents held by the audio firm. Google was ordered to pay $32.5 million for infringing on considered one of Sonos’ patents.