Shares of EssilorLuxottica declined roughly 1% after news emerged that Solos Technology has filed a patent infringement lawsuit naming the eyewear group and Meta Platforms as defendants. The complaint, made public in media reports, alleges infringement across a set of smartglasses-related technologies.
According to the reporting, Solos says its patents cover multimodal sensing, audio processing, intelligent assistance and integrated-system architectures that enable real-time interaction with users. The company asserts that these patents were secured years before the defendants began developing competing smartglasses products.
The legal action specifically targets Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1 smartglasses, and it alleges that subsequent versions continue to incorporate the same patented technologies. Oakley, which is a brand within the EssilorLuxottica portfolio, is also identified in the filing. Solos is pursuing billions of dollars in damages and is seeking an injunction to halt future alleged infringement.
EssilorLuxottica has not issued a public response to the allegations, with company representatives citing a silent period ahead of its fiscal year 2025 results, which are scheduled to be released on February 11. Market participants noted the immediate share movement following the initial reports.
One market firm was cited in reporting as warning about downside scenarios. Jefferies said: "A settlement and/or temporary injunction on smartglasses sales would be a worst-case scenario based on historical precedents and Solos’s claims." That assessment underscores potential commercial and legal exposures should the case progress unfavorably for the defendants.
The suit also sets out alleged pathways for how the defendants gained access to Solos’s know-how. It claims Meta employees reviewed Solos’s technical materials and hired individuals familiar with the company’s technology. In parallel, the filing alleges that personnel linked to EssilorLuxottica tested Solos’s technologies over several years at industry events.
Both EssilorLuxottica and Meta Platforms are expected to contest the infringement claims vigorously, according to the reporting. Beyond the immediate legal dispute, the situation raises questions for companies involved in consumer electronics and connected eyewear about intellectual property, product development practices and potential restrictions on product sales if courts rule in favor of the patent holder.
At this stage, the reported allegations remain unproven in court, and both companies have yet to make formal statements addressing the specific claims while EssilorLuxottica observes its pre-earnings communications blackout.