Denon Faces Lawsuit over Allegation of Speaker Patent Infringement

Orange County – Sonos, a developer of wireless home music systems, is suing Denon for patent infringement alleging that its newly-released Heos speakers are remarkably similar to Sonos’s speakers. According to details outlined in Sonos’s complaint, Denon’s Heos speakers have many of the same elements found in Sonos products.

The lawsuit alleges that Denon made no effort to distinguishfeatures or functionality and that the Heos speakers infringe at least four Sonos patents. Sonos’s 258-page court filing goes into significant detail explaining how Denon’s products are merely imitations of Sonos’s products.

Sonos is considered a pioneer in the wireless home hi-fi market and continues to dominate that arena. Many other companies such as Bose, LG and Samsung have attempted to bring in new products to compete with Sonos. Still, none of their products bear much similarity to Sonos’s creations.

Sonos points out that Denon did not even make an attempt to be creative with its marketing. While Sonos’s tagline for its campaign is “Fillyour home with music,” Denon’s is strikingly similar: “Fill every room with music.”

Sonos officials say they would prefer not to have an extended court battle but are happy to sit down with Denon, explain their views and give them the time and opportunity to modify their products. Sonos officials say they are not looking for monetary gain. They don’t want a royalty or license fee. They just want Denon to build products that are not copying Sonos’s products.

But it appears that Denon is ready for a fight. Denon has issued a press release saying that it will defend itself against Sonos’s allegations. Denon claims that its engineers and designers have worked for more than a decade to develop the Heos wireless speakers. The Heos line of wireless speakers debuted in June 2014 and includes three wireless multi-zone music players.