Just as the unique Chromecast streaming dongle is popping 10 years outdated, a brand new controversy has surfaced involving the favored streaming know-how. A federal jury in Texas has determined that Google’s Chromecast and different gadgets utilizing the identical know-how are infringing on a patent and should pay $338.7 in damages.
As reported by Reuters, the lawsuit was introduced forth in 2021 by New York-based firm Touchstream Technologies. Touchstream demanded a stunning $338.7 million in damages, a greenback quantity that has been totally awarded in this case’s determination.
This is a big legal setback for Alphabet’s Google, as the same legal dispute was misplaced by the corporate only a few months in the past when the corporate was ordered to pay Sonos $32.5 million in damages in a case involving its sensible audio system. Now, it looks as if historical past is repeating itself, besides this case is far larger.
Touchstream Technologies, recognized for creating the social video app “Shodogg,” alleged that Google’s common Chromecast and different gadgets had been infringing upon patents associated to the streaming of movies from one display to another. The firm claimed that its founder, David Strober, invented the know-how in 2010, permitting customers to “transfer” movies from smaller gadgets, resembling smartphones, to bigger screens like televisions.
According to Touchstream’s criticism, Google had met with them in December 2011 to debate their know-how however subsequently expressed disinterest simply two months later. This was adopted by Google’s introduction of its Chromecast media-streaming gadgets in 2013, which Touchstream alleged had copied their improvements and infringed on three of their patents. The lawsuit additionally included claims of infringement on Touchstream’s patents by Google’s Home and Nest sensible audio system, in addition to third-party televisions and audio system with Chromecast capabilities.
A Google spokesperson has since then responded to the decision by stating that the patents are invalid and that firm does plan to enchantment the choice. Additionally, Google acknowledged that they’ve “at all times developed know-how independently and competed on the deserves of our concepts.”
This victory, nevertheless, raises questions in regards to the state of comparable different pending lawsuits Touchstream has filed in opposition to cable firms resembling Comcast, Charter, and many others. It will probably be attention-grabbing to see how this develops and the way, if in any respect, it is going to have an effect on the tempo of innovation relating to media streaming.
Header picture by EricaJoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 , through Wikimedia Commons
