Judge Alsup asserted that Sonos's strategy of delaying patent claims for over a decade fundamentally harmed Google’s ability to develop competing technology, warranting the unenforceability ruling.
"I think we'll all agree that this year we've let far too many people down. As we've seen, getting some important things right (Arc Ultra and Ace are remarkable products!) is just not enough when our customers' alarms don't go off, their kids can't hear their playlist during breakfast."