Universal Electronics accuses Amazon products of violating patents covering smart remote technology.
Amazon is facing another patent lawsuit, this time from remote control and smart-home technology company Universal Electronics Inc. The case was filed in federal court in California and claims that several Amazon products and services use technology covered by patents owned by Universal Electronics. The company is asking for money damages and a court order that would stop Amazon from continuing the alleged patent violations. Universal Electronics, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has spent many years developing remote control systems and smart-home technology. According to the lawsuit, Amazon’s Echo smart speakers, Fire TV streaming devices, Alexa mobile app, and Prime Video app all make use of inventions protected by five different patents. The company says those patents cover technology that allows users to control different smart devices and home electronics through remote control systems and connected software.
The lawsuit does not place a dollar amount on the damages being sought. Instead, Universal Electronics is asking the court to decide what compensation is appropriate if Amazon is found to have violated its patent rights. The company also wants an order preventing Amazon from continuing to sell or offer products that are found to infringe those patents unless changes are made. Neither Amazon nor Universal Electronics immediately released public comments after the lawsuit was filed. As the case moves through court, both sides will have the chance to present technical evidence and legal arguments about whether Amazon’s products actually fall within the scope of the patents.
This is not the first time Amazon has faced legal claims involving Alexa technology. Over the past several years, the company has defended itself against a number of patent claims connected to voice recognition and smart-home features. Some of those cases have ended in Amazon’s favor, while others have resulted in financial awards for patent owners. One of the best-known cases came in 2023, when a jury decided Amazon owed patent owner VB Assets $46.7 million. That lawsuit involved patents covering speech recognition and natural language processing, two technologies that help voice assistants understand spoken commands and respond to users. The verdict showed that even large technology companies can face costly legal battles over intellectual property.
Amazon has also won important victories in court. Earlier this year, a federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict finding that Alexa did not infringe patents owned by Freshub, a company that developed voice-processing technology for creating and managing shopping lists. Freshub claimed Amazon copied its ideas after the companies discussed working together. A jury rejected those claims in 2021, and the appeals court agreed with that decision. Freshub also argued that statements made by Amazon’s lawyers unfairly influenced the jury by creating negative opinions about the company because it is based in Israel. A federal judge rejected those arguments and denied Freshub’s request for a new trial. The judge also ordered Freshub’s attorneys to complete legal ethics training after finding that accusations made during the case were unsupported.
When the case reached the appeals court, Freshub again argued that Amazon’s lawyers had unfairly affected the outcome of the case. The appeals court disagreed and left the original jury verdict in place. At the same time, the court also rejected Amazon’s request to invalidate one of Freshub’s patents, allowing that patent to remain in effect even though Amazon was found not to have infringed it. Overall, the lawsuit is still in its early stages, and no findings have been made about whether Amazon actually infringed the patents. The court will review evidence from both sides before finalizing its decision.
Sources:
Amazon sued by Universal Electronics for infringing smart-device patents
Amazon wins appeal after contentious Alexa grocery-ordering patent trial
Join the conversation!