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Bose sues Apple’s Beats Electronics over noise-canceling headphones patent

Alex Tretbar
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Bose has sued Apple’s Beats brand over the patents the company holds associated with noise-canceling headphones, according to a report from Re/code. The International Trade Commission complaint, filed today, lists both Beats Electronics and Beats Electronics International as defendants, both of which were recently acquired by Apple in a monumental $3 billion buyout.

The electronics and headphone purveyor is asking for a ban on sales of specific Beats headphones (namely the Beats Studio and Beats Studio Wireless) that Bose says infringe on four of its patents dedicated to noise-canceling, and related technologies. Seeking financial damages and an injunction against the Dr. Dre-founded brand, Bose has also filed a federal patent infringement in Delaware.

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Below is a listing of the particular patents referred to in the filings:

  • 8,073,151: “Dynamically configurable ANR filter block topology” Granted 12/6/2011.
  • 8,073,150: “Dynamically configurable ANR signal processing topology” Granted 12/6/2011.
  • 6,717,537: “Method and apparatus for minimizing latency in digital signal processing systems” Granted 4/6/2004.
  • 8,345,888: “Digital high frequency phase compensation” Granted 1/1/2013.
  • 8,054,992: “High frequency compensating” Granted 11/8/2011.

The Bose suit isn’t the only sticky legal situation to snag Apple recently. This week, thousands of current and former Apple employees in California joined a class-action lawsuit (originally filed in 2011) against the tech giant over alleged violations of worker rights. And back on March 31, a $2 billion trial kicked off between Apple and Samsung that focuses on Apple’s accusation that Samsung infringed on software patents related to the iPhone. The vicious legal battle has already raged on for about four years, and it appears the fight won’t let up for at least another three.

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While Apple still awaits regulatory approval for its purchase of Beats – expected to be closed by the end of this financial quarter according to Re/code – Bose’s lawsuit could very well end up on Apple’s plate once the deal officially goes through. Neither Apple nor Beats have issued any comment in response to today’s news, but we will add any relevant updates to this ongoing story as it unfolds.

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Alex Tretbar
Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
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