Google And Honeywell Put To Rest Patent Dispute Over Nest Thermostat

MAY 6, 2016 @ 01:51 PM

Google and industrial heavyweight Honeywell have resolved a long-standing patent dispute over the Nest thermostat, the two companies announced Thursday afternoon.

Nest woke a sleeping giant when it launched its so-called “learning thermostat” in 2011. Honeywell sued Nest in early 2012 in a US district court in Minnesota for allegedly infringing on seven of Honeywell’s patents related to thermostats. These patents were related to operating and programing thermostats. In the lawsuit, Honeywell tried to stop Nest and retail partner Best Buy from using the patented technology.

In addition to settling the patent dispute, the two companies said they’ve established “a long-term patent cross-license agreement reflecting the respective strength of the companies’ patent portfolios.” Other details of the agreement were undisclosed.

Google acquired Nest for $3.2 billion in 2014 and now exists as an independent unit under the Alphabet structure. Nest’s founding team includes Tony Fadell, a former Apple executive who frequently gets credit for major contributions to the iPad and iPhone products. Nest also makes a smoke alarm and home security camera. The company has recently come under scrutiny for a toxic work culture, based on a report from the Information. Sales are also not meeting expectations,said another report from Recode.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2016/05/06/google-and-honeywell-put-to-rest-patent-dispute-over-nest-thermostat/#7a6a7fdd64cf