Inside Sonos' decision to sue Google with CEO Patrick Spence and CLO Eddie Lazarus
Mar 1, 2022
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Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos, leads the charge against tech giants, while Eddie Lazarus, the Chief Legal Officer, lays out the legal landscape. They dive into the decision to sue Google over patent infringements, detailing how Sonos carefully selected just five out of over 150 patents. The duo highlights the challenges of protecting innovation in a competitive market and the implications of their landmark legal battles. Their courageous stance not only shapes Sonos’ future but also ignites a discussion on fair competition in tech.
This week I sat down with Patrick Spence, the CEO of Sonos, and Eddie Lazarus, his Chief Legal Officer. I wanted both Patrick and Eddie on the show to talk about when a company like Sonos makes the decision to head to the courts and increasingly, Congress. Sonos has long accused other tech giants of stealing its tech, but in 2019 it actually sued Google for patent infringement. Sonos recently won that lawsuit at the US International Trade Commission, which ruled that Google infringed all five patents Sonos brought to court. I wanted to understand how Patrick and Eddie decided to take the risk of a lawsuit here – Sonos claims Google actually infringes over 150 patents, so how did they pick.. Five.. to sue over?