WhereIsAtlas · Law

Harman v. VOXX

A Samsung subsidiary asserted thirteen design patents over the look of an illuminated party speaker against a single Klipsch product — then the case was stayed, dismissed with prejudice, and never tried

Concluded — Harman International Industries sued VOXX International and Klipsch Group in the US District Court for the District of Delaware on 24 December 2024, asserting thirteen US design patents all titled "Illuminated loudspeaker" against a single product, the Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker. The case was stayed in December 2025 and dismissed with prejudice on a joint stipulation on 28 January 2026. No settlement agreement, licence or payment appears on the public docket, so the basis for the dismissal is not established. VOXX, Klipsch's parent, was acquired by Gentex Corporation midway through the litigation.

Harman International Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, and its brands include JBL, Harman Kardon, Infinity, AKG, Lexicon, Mark Levinson and Revel. On 24 December 2024 it filed a patent infringement action in the US District Court for the District of Delaware — Case No. 1:24-cv-01411, before Judge Gregory B. Williams — naming VOXX International Corp. and Klipsch Group, Inc. as defendants.

The asserted patents were thirteen US design patents, and every one of them is titled "Illuminated loudspeaker": USD913,991, USD914,639, USD918,173, USD921,612, USD944,772, USD1,000,419, USD1,000,420, USD1,001,775, USD1,008,220, USD1,011,314, USD1,012,068, USD1,012,897 and USD1,030,706. They share a priority date of 16 May 2019, when the three earliest were filed as consecutive applications, and the named inventor is Hyo Jin Kim.

Design patents protect how a product looks rather than how it works, and this set is a clear example: the claim in each is for the ornamental design of a loudspeaker, granted between March 2021 and June 2024.

The accused product was a single item: the Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker, a portable illuminated party speaker. In the complaint Harman compared it against its own JBL PartyBox 100. The packaging was said to carry both Klipsch and VOXX branding.

The litigation then ran on an ordinary commercial schedule. In October 2025 the court set fact discovery to run to June 2026, expert discovery to November 2026, and a five-day jury trial for November 2028. In November 2025 Harman served its notice of asserted patents and accused products.

Then it stopped. On 4 and 5 December 2025 the parties filed a stipulation staying all deadlines, and the court ordered the case stayed. On 26 January 2026 Harman filed a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice, and on 28 January 2026 Judge Williams so ordered it and terminated the case.

A dismissal with prejudice is a substantive outcome, not a procedural pause: it bars the plaintiff from bringing the same claim again. What the docket does not record is why. There is no settlement agreement, no licence and no payment on the public record, and neither Harman, VOXX, Klipsch nor Gentex announced a resolution. At least one commercial litigation database labels the case "settled", but its own basis-of-termination field is empty. The sourced position is that the case was dismissed with prejudice on a joint stipulation, and that the terms — if any — are not public.

One corporate event reframes the whole sequence. VOXX International, Klipsch's parent, was acquired by Gentex Corporation, with the deal closing on 1 April 2025 — roughly three months into the litigation and nine months before it was dismissed. The defendant was absorbed by a third company while the case was pending.

Timeline

  1. 16 May 2019 — The designs are filed: The earliest three applications in the family are filed as consecutive US design applications, all with this priority date.
  2. 23 Mar 2021 — The first patent issues: USD913,991, "Illuminated loudspeaker", is granted to Harman International Industries.
  3. 11 Jun 2024 — The last one issues: USD1,030,706 completes the set of thirteen asserted designs.
  4. 24 Dec 2024 — Harman files suit: Harman sues VOXX International and Klipsch Group in the District of Delaware over the Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker. (Wilmington, DE)
  5. 1 Apr 2025 — The defendant changes hands: Gentex Corporation completes its acquisition of VOXX International, Klipsch's parent, three months into the case.
  6. 23 Oct 2025 — A trial date is set: The court schedules fact discovery to June 2026, expert discovery to November 2026, and a jury trial for November 2028.
  7. 21 Nov 2025 — Asserted patents served: Harman serves its notice of accused products, asserted patents and file histories.
  8. 5 Dec 2025 — The case is stayed: The parties stipulate to stay all deadlines; the court orders the stay.
  9. 28 Jan 2026 — Dismissed with prejudice: Judge Williams so orders a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice and terminates the case. No settlement terms are on the public docket. (Wilmington, DE)

Quick facts

Case
Harman International Industries Inc. v. VOXX International Corp. et al
Number
1:24-cv-01411
Court
US District Court for the District of Delaware
Judge
Gregory B. Williams
Filed
24 December 2024
Nature of suit
patent infringement
Plaintiff
Harman International Industries, a Samsung Electronics subsidiary
Defendants
VOXX International Corp. and Klipsch Group, Inc.
Patents asserted
thirteen US design patents, all titled "Illuminated loudspeaker"
Patent numbers
USD913,991; USD914,639; USD918,173; USD921,612; USD944,772; USD1,000,419; USD1,000,420; USD1,001,775; USD1,008,220; USD1,011,314; USD1,012,068; USD1,012,897; USD1,030,706
Priority date
16 May 2019 for all thirteen
Named inventor
Hyo Jin Kim
Granted
between 23 March 2021 and 11 June 2024
Accused product
one — the Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker
Comparison product in the complaint
Harman's own JBL PartyBox 100
Scheduling order
October 2025; trial set for November 2028
Stay
ordered December 2025
Dismissed
with prejudice, 28 January 2026
Settlement
not confirmed; no terms on the public docket
Corporate twist
Gentex Corporation acquired VOXX, closing 1 April 2025

Lineage — where the name went

Thirteen design patents, one accused speaker, and a case that ended without a verdict. The defendant changed owners halfway through.

  1. Hyo Jin Kim created USD913,991 (named as inventor on the asserted design)
  2. Hyo Jin Kim created USD1,030,706 (named as inventor on the asserted design)
  3. Harman International Industries created USD913,991 (filed with a 16 May 2019 priority date)
  4. Harman International Industries created USD1,030,706 (the last of the thirteen to issue)
  5. Harman International Industries created JBL PartyBox 100 (Harman's own product, cited for comparison)
  6. VOXX International acquired Klipsch Group, Inc. (Klipsch sits in VOXX's audio business)
  7. Klipsch Group, Inc. created Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker (the single accused instrumentality)
  8. 2025 — Gentex Corporation acquired VOXX International (closing 1 April 2025, three months into the litigation)
  9. Judge Gregory B. Williams served under Harman International Industries (presided over the case)
  10. 2026 — The dismissal with prejudice defeated Harman International Industries (Harman cannot refile; no settlement terms are public)
  11. USD913,991 defeated Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker (the design patent asserted against the accused speaker)
  12. USD1,030,706 defeated Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker (the design patent asserted against the accused speaker)

Entities in this tree: Harman International Industries (company); Hyo Jin Kim (person); USD913,991 (product, 2021); USD1,030,706 (product, 2024); JBL PartyBox 100 (product); Klipsch Group, Inc. (company); VOXX International (company); Gentex Corporation (company); Klipsch Gig XXL Party Speaker (product); Judge Gregory B. Williams (person); The dismissal with prejudice (event, 2026)

Sources

  1. Harman International Industries Inc. v. VOXX International Corp. et al, No. 1:24-cv-01411 (D. Del.) docket — PacerMonitor (2026-09-19)
  2. Harman International vs VOXX: design patent dispute in speaker case — Patsnap (2026-09-19)
  3. Complaint analysis, Harman Intl Industries Inc v. Voxx Intl Corp, 1:24-cv-01411 — ExParte (2026-09-19)
  4. USD913991S1 - Illuminated loudspeaker — Google Patents (2026-09-19)
  5. USD1030706S1 - Illuminated loudspeaker — Google Patents (2026-09-19)
  6. Gentex Announces Closing of VOXX International Acquisition — Gentex Corporation (2026-09-19)
  7. Gentex Corporation Closes on its Acquisition of VOXX International Corporation — VOXX International (2026-09-19)

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