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Summary:

The thermostat — a household gadget that never used to get much respect — is now grabbing the attention of the tech community because of a lawsuit filed last week by industry giant Honeywell against Nest Labs. The lawsuit has caused an intense debate on not only the merit of Honeywell’s claim but also the impact the legal fight might have on innovation in the smart thermostat space (will it stifle or protect it?). We conducted a survey right after Honeywell announced the lawsuit and asked GigaOM readers for their views on what will likely be a nasty legal tussle between the two companies. This research note examines and analyzes the survey results.