Apple has delisted Bose audio products including Bose headphones and speakers from its retail and online stores.
It was two months after the Cupertino announced its $3 billion Beats acquisition deal earlier this year that Bose sued the Dr. Dre-led headphone company accusing it of infringing on five of its patents for noise-canceling headphones. Beats also lodged a complaint with the International Trade Commission, seeking to cease the sale and import of certain Beats products.
In the complaint filed Boss said “To protect its investments, Bose has sought patent protection, and owns many patents and patent applications.”
“Because Bose invests heavily in research and development, and because Bose has built its reputation on producing superior products through innovative technology Bose’s continued success depends in substantial part on its ability to establish, maintain, and protect its proprietary technology through enforcement of its patent rights.”
The two firms, however, privately settled the spat on 10 October which led to the dismissal of the lawsuit. The terms of the settlement remained disclosed. It’s unknown whether Apple’s decision to remove Bose products from its store was part of the settlement deal.
Bose isn’t alone to face the Apple Store axe. Last week reports claimed Fitbit products could also be delisted from the Cupertino’s Store sooner rather than later, over its hesitation to integrate Apple’s HealthKit platform.
