Meta sued over alleged Ray-Ban smart glasses patent infringement

Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer

• Solos sues Meta and EssilorLuxottica for alleged patent infringement on smart glasses.
• Solos seeks billions in damages and a halt to Ray-Ban smart glasses sales
• Meta and EssilorLuxottica have not yet responded to the lawsuit

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Solos has filed a lawsuit against Meta and EssilorLuxottica, accusing the companies of ongoing patent infringement related to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses lineup. According to a report detailing the case, Solos claims that Meta’s first-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses were built using concepts protected by its patents, and that the alleged infringement continues with the second-generation models as well as the Ray-Ban Meta Display glasses.

The lawsuit argues that Meta and EssilorLuxottica unlawfully benefited from Solos’ proprietary technologies, costing the company “invaluable business opportunities” as the smart glasses market began to take shape. Solos is seeking billions of dollars in damages and is also asking the court to block further sales of Ray-Ban smart glasses.

Solos manufactures AI-powered smart glasses that, like Meta’s products, integrate audio, sensors, and voice-based interactions into traditional eyewear designs. The company claims that its intellectual property was exposed to EssilorLuxottica years before Meta entered the category in earnest.

According to the filing, employees from Oakley, which is owned by EssilorLuxottica, were introduced to Solos’ smart glasses technology as early as 2015. Solos also alleges that a former senior Oakley executive received a commercial pair of its smart glasses for testing purposes in 2019. The company further points to multiple meetings with EssilorLuxottica in 2017, claiming that discussions during this period allowed its product concepts and roadmap to be improperly leveraged.

The lawsuit also highlights Meta’s awareness of Solos’ technology. Solos notes that a Meta product manager, Priyanka Shekar, authored a research study on Solos smart glasses while she was an MIT Sloan Fellow, prior to joining Meta. That study reportedly cites Solos’ patents, which the company argues strengthens its case that Meta had prior knowledge of the protected technology.

Meta, in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, currently sells some of the most popular consumer smart glasses on the market under the Ray-Ban brand. The glasses have gained traction by blending relatively conventional eyewear designs with cameras, microphones, speakers, and AI-powered features. Meta is also preparing a more advanced consumer version of its Orion augmented reality glasses, further intensifying competition in the category.

At the time of writing, Meta and EssilorLuxottica have not publicly responded to Solos’ claims.