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Patent Holder Hits Sonos With Complaint Over Playlist Rendering Method

Lecrew Licensing filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware, Tuesday against Sonos for allegedly infringing patent 9,516,370, titled “Method, device, and system for directing a wireless speaker from a mobile phone to receive and render a…

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playlist from a content server on the internet.” The patent is based on a 2014 filing listing Martin Weel, Modjeska, California, as inventor and Black Hills Media as assignee. The complaint (in Pacer) identifies Sonos’ Roam portable speaker, saying “the accused system supports a display (e.g., display of the smartphone in which app of the accused system is installed)" for displaying, on a touch screen of the mobile phone, device identifiers such as icons of paired devices, such as speakers in a dining room or kitchen, for multiple speakers. The complaint seeks a judgment that the patent is valid and enforceable, that Sonos infringed one or more claims, and damages and attorney fees. Sonos didn't comment Wednesday.