Earlier this month Beats was going after headphone counterfeiters in China, but now the company is facing a lawsuit of its own over noise-canceling technology developed and patented by Bose. CNBC broke the news earlier today, and the entire filing is also available to read online.
In the suit Bose claims some of Beats’ headphones use technology it developed over the past 50 years through research and development dating back to 1978. In total, the complaint claims Beats is violating 22 U.S. patents and 14 more applications currently under review. Not all Beats headphones feature noise-cancelling technology, but it’s a key selling point for much of the company’s high-end lineup.
A quick Google or Amazon search will pull up hundreds of different noise canceling headphones, and while it’s possible Bose is going after more than one company Beats feels like an easy target. Not only is the celebrity-backed firm highly successful, but it’s also set to merge with Apple. Once Beats is swallowed up into the Cupertino company it could be a lot harder to pull off a similar lawsuit, though that doesn’t necessarily Bose will succeed now.
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