Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Google Pixel 7 series has received a sales ban in Japan after Google lost a court battle.
- A Japanese court ruled that Google infringed on standard-essential patents by Pantech.
- Pantech has also requested a sales injunction against the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 smartphone families.
The Google Pixel line is among the most popular phone brands in Japan, being ranked in the top three for 2024. However, trouble is brewing as a series of Google phones has just been banned in the market.
ET News and Mlex report that Pantech has successfully won a court battle in Japan over Google’s patent infringement. This legal victory means that the Pixel 7 series can no longer be sold in the market.
The Japanese court found that Google infringed on Pantech’s standard-essential patents. These patents are key to smartphones and are typically licensed under FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms. The patent at the center of the suit relates to “control signal mapping” technology used in LTE networks.
According to ET News, a major reason why the court ruled in favor of a sales ban was Google’s “insincere and uncooperative attitude.”
More Pixel phones to be banned in Japan?
It should go without saying that the Pixel 7 series is almost three years old and has since been succeeded by the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 lines. So Google is highly unlikely to see a sales hit in Japan as a result of this ruling.
However, Pantech has also filed a sales injunction lawsuit against the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series. If this sales ban is granted, it would undoubtedly have a far bigger impact on Google’s bottom line in the region. This would be a particularly large blow for Google as it’s been among the top three players in Japan for a while now. Counterpoint Research also noted that Japan beat the US for Pixel shipments back in Q1 2023.
Pantech was a major player in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but it became a casualty during these early smartphone years. Instead, fellow Korean brands LG and Samsung became significantly more successful. The company has since been acquired and is now a “patent monetization business.” It’s aggressively gone after major companies, earning legal wins over OnePlus and Pokemon Go developer Niantic. It’s also settled with smartphone brand BLU.
