According to a “report” by CNBC, Bose is suing Beats over the designs for noise-cancelling headphones.
Bose alleges that Beats has infringed on 50 years’ worth of research, development and engineering of noise cancelling tech, and that its current lineup of these devices incorporates “at least 36 U.S. patents and applications,” broken down into 22 granted patents and 14 applications currently undergoing review. Beats products named as having infringed upon Bose’s IP include the Beats Studio line, which include the new Studio Wireless Bluetooth headphones.
Now, I’m not going to pretend to know anything about patent law… after all, it’s a terribly boring and deeply uninteresting subject. However, it is interesting to note the timing of all of this.
Remember, Apple is in the process of acquiring Beat Electronics and Beats Electronics International. Beats didn’t just recently start making these headphones, they’ve been doing it for years. So why go into litigation now? My guess is because Apple’s guard is down and they smell blood in the water. Apple is also in the middle of litigation with Samsung; and now with Beats being acquired by Apple, there’s more money to be made from it, too.
Bose provided a statement on the filing:
The filing is comprehensive and explains our position, and as a matter of practice, we don’t comment on on-going litigation. We can share that for over 30 years, Bose has made significant investments in the research, development, engineering and design of the proprietary technologies found in our headphones. Bose’s patented technologies enable the exclusive performance found in our QuietComfort® Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones. We are committed to protecting our investment, protecting our customers, and defending the patents we own.
Source: Tech Crunch
