
Soundboks sues Sharp over design theft
Danish company Soundboks is suing Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp, claiming the new Sumobox portable speaker infringes on their design. Soundboks, famous for its portable, high-volume, wireless speakers, insists that Sharp’s Sumobox closely resembles their product, constituting plagiarism. CEO Jesper Theil Thomsen expressed shock at Sharp’s overt profiting from their original idea, developed since 2014. Attempts to stop Sharp’s marketing and sales directly were rejected, leading Soundboks to seek legal action for removal and destruction of Sumobox from stores, also raising an initial compensation claim of 650,000 Danish Kroner. Thomsen condemns industry-damaging behavior and Copycat products that mislead consumers. Unlike Sharp, Soundboks, started by three high school friends for a festival, spread its speakers to 40 countries with over 250,000 sold globally. Sharp, over a century old, is significantly larger with a 2022 workforce of 46,200 and a turnover of around 116 billion Danish Kroner, overshadowing Soundboks’ 344 million in the same period.