In early June 2026, XR Brands settled a patent-infringement dispute with WOW Tech Group — the Lovehoney Group subsidiary behind Womanizer — over WOW Tech's Pleasure Air Technology, the air-pulse/suction mechanism at the heart of the modern clitoral-stimulator boom. Under the terms, XR Brands agreed to become a licensee of WOW Tech's patent portfolio covering its suction-stimulating toys, to pay an undisclosed settlement amount, and to make ongoing royalty payments for continued use of the patented technology. WOW Tech had originally filed the suit.

Why It Matters

Pleasure Air is arguably the most commercially important patent family in modern sextech, and how aggressively Lovehoney enforces it shapes the entire clitoral-stimulator market. Converting XR Brands — a major US novelty manufacturer and distributor — into a royalty-paying licensee both validates the patents' strength and establishes a template: infringe-then-license rather than infringe-then-exit. For investors and competitors, it underscores that IP, not just hardware, is now a core moat (and revenue stream) in the pleasure-products business, and it reinforces the Lovehoney Group's dominance across the air-pulse segment.

"This agreement reaffirms WOW Tech's commitment to protecting our intellectual property, which is the result of years of innovation, investment, and dedication to advancing the sexual wellness industry," said Lovehoney CEO Johannes Plettenberg, adding that the company "looks forward to a productive licensing relationship." The amicable resolution converts a competitor into a paying licensee rather than driving its products off shelves.

The settlement is the latest move in WOW Tech/Lovehoney's long-running campaign to police the air-pulse category it pioneered with the original Womanizer. Pressure-wave suction has become one of the most cloned mechanisms in the industry, spawning everything from $30 budget knock-offs to premium rivals, and the patent estate has been a recurring flashpoint in pleasure-tech IP litigation.

Sources

Update — 2026-06-25

Initial entry — story first created.