Google appealed a Federal Court decision (2022 FC 1116) that found Sonos did not infringe claim 7 of Google’s Canadian Patent No. 2545150, related to a system for adaptive echo and noise control in electronic equipment.
Google also contested the costs decision favoring Sonos.
Legal Issues:
Interpretation of “echo cancellation” and “an order” in the patent claim.
Application of the term “adaptively determine” in assessing infringement.
Court’s Analysis and Decision:
The Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Google’s appeal, upholding the Federal Court’s decision that Sonos did not infringe the patent.
The Court agreed with the lower court's interpretations of “echo cancellation” and “an order” as distinct processes in the context of the patent, and found that Google failed to demonstrate any errors in these interpretations.
The appeal court decided it was unnecessary to delve into the application of “adaptively determine” due to the dismissal of the appeal based on the other issues.
Outcome:
The appeals concerning both the infringement and costs decisions were dismissed.
Costs were awarded to Sonos, with the amount set at $15,000 all-inclusive.
