Google is being sued for more than $5 million for allegedly enticing early Workspace customers to utilize its services for free lifetime access.
Google is Facing a Lawsuit for Violating Its Promise to Workspace's Early Members
A multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed against Google for allegedly breaking its commitment to provide early Workspace subscribers free lifelong access.
On behalf of early adopters, The Stratford Firm LLC is suing Google parent company Alphabet for more than $5 million for allegedly "enticing" early Workspace users to use its services during the early testing phases in exchange for free everlasting access.
Google Workspace contains many of the current free features that we are acquainted with, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as commercial extras like cloud storage via Google Drive and support for custom email domains. It was initially known as Google Apps and then G Suite.
In 2012, Google began charging users $12 per month for the premium edition of its enterprise-focused suite. But earlier this year, the internet giant informed its "legacy" users such as early adopters, to whom it had previously guaranteed free access for as long as the services were provided, that they would soon have to pay to enjoy the same benefits.
Google's abandoning the creed "don't be evil" is well-illustrated in this instance, according to a portion of the lawsuit submitted to a federal court in San Jose.
It also claims that Google, the most valuable component of a conglomerate with a market value of close to two trillion dollars, violates a commitment to devoted users who assisted Google in creating a successful product. Google does this to boost its already astronomically significant earnings.
For the users it represents, the company is asking for class-action status. The number of damages will be decided at trial, although it is anticipated to exceed $5 million.
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Google is Suing Sonos for Infringement of Its Smart Speaker and Voice Control Patents
With two lawsuits, Google is retaliating against Sonos by claiming that the wireless speaker manufacturer infringes on several of its patents on its smart speakers and voice control technologies.
It's the latest salvo in a legal struggle over wireless speakers that has so far featured several Sonos lawsuits, one Google lawsuit, and a judgment in favor of Sonos that resulted in the removal of functionality from Google's devices.
Seven more patents are allegedly infringed upon according to these latest cases. In one case, wireless charging and hotword recognition are the main topics, while in the other, it's how a collection of speakers decides which one should react to voice input.
According to Google spokesman José Castaeda, the lawsuits are being brought to "protect our technology and fight Sonos's apparent, continuous violation of our patents." Castaeda says Sonos has begun a deceitful and aggressive campaign against our products.
Both cases were submitted to the Northern District of California's federal district court this morning. According to Castaeda, Google intends to file similar issues with the US International Trade Commission in the following days to prevent importing any Sonos goods that violate its intellectual property.
Eddie Lazarus, the chief legal officer at Sonos, described the most recent cases as intimidation tactics intended to punish Sonos for publicly criticizing Google's monopolistic practices and crush a smaller competitor.
Google changed numerous product features as a result. Google removed the possibility of managing the volume of many Google speakers at once. Google's actions seem to be an attempt to squeeze Sonos over features.
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