A West Texas jury on Thursday ruled that Google should pay $20 million in damages for infringing patents on energy management company EcoFactor over its Nest smart thermostat.
A West Texas jury said the technology used in Google’s Nest devices infringed EcoFactor’s patented technology that automatically reduces energy use during peak demand periods. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, EcoFactor sells smart home energy-saving services through utilities, HVAC companies and broadband providers.
EcoFactor sued Google in 2020, accusing it of infringing its patents. Google has denied the allegation, arguing that EcoFactor’s patents are invalid.
A West Texas jury found Google infringed on one of its patents on Thursday and awarded EcoFactor just over $20 million in damages. EcoFactor has also filed lawsuits against Amazon, Ecobee, Vivint and other companies in West Texas over smart thermostat technology.
Google spokesman José Castañeda said the ruling would not affect its customers and the company planned to appeal. EcoFactor’s lawyer, Reza Mirzaie of Russ August & Kabat, said he thanked the jury for protecting the company’s “underlying” intellectual property and found Google infringed on it.