The US ITC opened this investigation as a result of a complaint Sonos made alleging that Google violated section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by importing and selling products infringing on the company's patents. Sonos is seeking cease and desist orders against Google that would presumably keep them from selling speakers that are in violation of Sonos patents.

According to the ITC press release, the commission must set a target date for completing the investigation within 45 days of beginning it. So, it'll be at least a few months before we find out what the government thinks about Sonos' case against Google. But at the very least, it's further evidence that Sonos is taking its legal fight against Google seriously and going after them on multiple fronts.

Sonos provided us with the following statement about the investigation: "We're pleased the ITC confirmed it will initiate a formal investigation into all of our claims asserting Google blatantly infringed our intellectual property. We'll fully cooperate throughout the duration of the investigation and feel confident about the merit of our case."

We've reached out to Google for comment and will update this story if we hear back.

Update: 3PM ET: Added statement from Sonos.