X, Tesla sued in Austin court over voice technology patent
X, Tesla sued in Austin court over voice technology patent
Publish Date: 2026-02-10 14:27:00
Source Domain: www.statesman.com
A Waco-based company is suing Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. and X for infringing its patent on voice assistance technology.
Songbird Tech LLC says in its suit filed in U.S. District Court in Austin that the automaker is using its voice-assisted technologies in vehicles including the Austin-built Cybertruck. It also alleges X is using the technology in the social media platform’s voice messaging.
Neither X nor Tesla responded to requests for comment.
It’s the latest in a string of suits Songbird Tech has filed in recent years. In the past three years, it’s sued nine companies including TV manufacturers Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics over the same patent. Those cases were voluntarily dismissed. All the lawsuits have been filed in U.S. District Court in Austin. It wasn’t immediately clear if settlements had been reached.
The company has been accused of being a non-practicing entity, also known as a patent troll. Those are companies that exist solely to sue over patents that can be vague and broad. They generally do not produce products but acquire them from other companies to pursue infringement lawsuits against companies for licensing fees.
Songbird Tech’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment about its claims and its patent.
The technology included in all the company’s lawsuits is protected under U.S. Patent No. 8,825,787, which court records say was issued in 2014. The patent is for a device using a microphone, computer, storage and software that records audio messages, stores it locally then transmits the “audio query message.”
That essentially makes it a patent for nearly any computer and software combination that uses a microphone for audio commands or messaging. Tesla and other automakers’ vehicles use voice control with a variety of features including navigation, media, phone and climate control.
Songbird Tech says in its suit that it’s based in Waco, but no address for the company could be found. According to…
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