Sonos, the connected speaker manufacturer, saw a 97% growth in its business in 2013, generating $535m in sales. This was, in part, due to the introduction of its lower-end Play:1 speakers. The sector, however, is getting crowded with Pure, Beats, Sony and Qualcomm all trying to carve out a share of this market. Sonos has also stated that it will forward-publish all its patent applications – with the exception of those that have still to appear in publicly available Sonos products. It is doing this, it says, so that others can “use it to create differentiated products, rather than merely incorporating or copying our invention without our permission”. It continues, “While we recognise the existence of abuses in the marketplace that cross this ethical line, we still believe patents can and should be used for the benefit of all – by helping accelerate innovation.”
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…