USITC Ends Investigation into Audio Player Patent Dispute, Finding Claims Invalid
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Background of the Case
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) ended its investigation into certain audio players and their parts. This decision was made on July 7, 2025. The case number is 337-TA-1329.
The investigation began on September 15, 2022. The complaint was filed by Google LLC, based in Mountain View, California. Google claimed that Sonos, Inc., from Santa Barbara, California, broke U.S. trade law. Google said Sonos imported, sold, or offered for sale audio players that violated certain U.S. patents. The patents listed were U.S. Patent Nos. 7,705,565, 10,593,330, and 10,134,398.
Progress of the Investigation
The ‘565 patent was removed from the investigation on November 2, 2022, by order of the Commission.
On January 19, 2023, there was a hearing about how to define the term “low power mode” in the patents. This term became very important in the case.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) was also reviewing the two other patents (‘330 and ‘398 patents). On May 15, 2024, the PTAB decided that all challenged claims in these patents were invalid.
Sonos filed motions saying the patent claims were either indefinite or unpatentable. Google opposed these motions.
On February 4, 2025, the judge asked the parties if the case should end because of the PTAB decisions.
On March 7, 2025, the judge decided that the key term “low power mode” was indefinite. This means the meaning of the term was not clear enough for the patents to be enforced. Because of this, the judge said the claims were invalid.
Commission Review and Final Decision
No party asked for a review of this decision at first. On April 8, 2025, the Commission agreed that the patent claims were invalid as indefinite. The investigation was ended with no violation found.
After this, Google filed a late petition, saying it had not been served the initial decision on time. The Commission accepted this petition and reopened the investigation. Sonos responded on June 5, 2025.
After reviewing all submissions, the Commission kept its earlier decision. The Commission found that the claims in the ‘330 and ‘398 patents were invalid because “low power mode” was indefinite.
The Commission’s rules say there must be infringement of a valid patent claim to find a violation. Here, the claims were not valid.
The investigation was formally ended with a finding of no violation as of July 7, 2025.
Legal Authority
This decision was made under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1337), and the Commission’s own rules (19 CFR part 210).
The order was signed by Lisa Barton, Secretary to the Commission.
Contact and Further Information
Additional documents are available at https://edis.usitc.gov. For questions, contact Carl P. Bretscher, Esq., USITC Office of the General Counsel, at (202) 205-2382.
Legal Disclaimer
This article includes content collected from the Federal Register (federalregister.gov). The content is not an official government publication. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For case-specific consultation, please contact us. Read our full Legal Disclaimer, which also includes information on translation accuracy.
