Amazon’s Echo got Amazon sued

Everyone’s favourite Amazon Echo became the reason for filing a legal suit against Amazon. Vocalife LLC dragged Amazon in the Eastern District Courts of Texas over patent infringement. Infringement was alleged to be regarding a single patent concerning Amazon’s Echo product. Fabricant LLP is representing Vocalife in courts.

Brief about Infringed Patent:

Infringed Patent was U.S. Patent No. RE48,371. This patent was entitled “Microphone Array System”. The ’371 patent was registered to cover systems and methods which are used in a microphone array system. The invention which is being protected under the ’371 patent was invented or developed by Dr Manli Zhu and Dr Qi Li.

However, Vocalife manufactures and sells CrispMic II. It is a smart microphone that works as a module for voice interactive products. The CrispMic II is a multiple-microphone array module that is used in smart speakers, robotic devices, smart appliances, and other IoT platforms that need to capture far-field voices, speech recognition, and voice control. The CrispMic II is powered by an advanced digital signal processor (DSP) algorithms of Vocalife. These algorithms were developed over the past decade with the following main aims:

1. To suppress background noise
2. To enhance speech intelligibility,
3. To improve automatic speech recognition accuracy.

However, Vocalife marked the CrispMic II product with the ’371 patent from the last several years and also complied with 35 U.S.C. § 287.

Allegations of Vocalife:

The plaintiff made a number of allegations. Highlights of such allegations are as follows:

• That Amazon has a policy or practice of not reviewing the patents of others (including instructing its employees to not review the patents of others).
• That several Amazon employees knew of its patent and listed their names in the complaint. But still, invention protected under’371 patent was implemented by infringing virtual assistant smart speakers utilizing Amazon “Alexa” Technology.
• That Amazon not only infringed but also continued to infringe the ’371 patent by making, using, selling, offering to sell, and/or importing, and by actively inducing others to make, use, sell, offer to sell, and/or importing, products including microphone array systems technology and associated software that infringes the ’371 Patent.” Such products include at least the Amazon Alexa-enabled products including, but not limited to, the Amazon Echo products.
• That Amazon infringed the ‘371 patent by making, using, offering to sell, selling, and/or importing into the United States virtual assistant smart speakers that utilize a microphone array system.
• That additionally, Amazon Echo products contain the DSPs that comprise a noise reduction unit that suppresses said ambient noise signals for further enhancing said target sound signal which was also another feature of patented technology.

Relief:

Vocalife sought the following in their prayer section as relief of their complaint:

• Compensation for Amazon’s alleged infringement,
• A verdict in its favour,
• Attorney’s fees.

Let’s see what changes will come in the market with respect to Amazon’s Echo. Till then let’s hope for the best and justice to prevail.