Google banned from selling select Pixel phones in Japan, and it might not end there

A patent dispute in Japan has led to Google no longer being able to sell select older Pixel devices, and the company behind it is gunning for newer generations too.

As reported by ETNews, a Japanese court has ruled that Google infringed on patents from Pantech in its Pixel 7 series smartphones. As a result, Google is banned from selling Pixel 7 series devices in Japan. The patent itself regards signal mapping and is explained as follows (translated):

The patent subject to this lawsuit is a control signal mapping technology that sends an acknowledgment signal (ACK) from a base station to a terminal in a long-term evolution (LTE) network, which is a core technology for implementing 4th generation (4G) communication standards.

The judge in the case deemed Google as having an “insincere attitude” towards the dispute, which is what led to the sales ban. Google will not be able to “sell, display, transfer, or import Pixel 7 series products” in the country.

Pantech is further pursuing sales bans on both the Pixel 8 series and Pixel 9 series in Japan, though it’s unclear if it will be successful.

While the ban on Pixel 7 sales in Japan likely won’t have much of an impact for Google, any further bans could. Japan is one of the most successful regions for Pixel devices, largely thanks to explosive growth in 2023 as fueled by the Pixel 7 series, and Pixel 7a in particular.

Notably, Pantech itself is a mobile phone company based in Korea, but the company hasn’t put out any new phones in quite some time, having “suspended” its smartphone business. ETNews points out that the dispute involved “IdeaHub,” a “patent monetization specialist.”

More on Google Pixel:

• How’s your Pixel holding up in the heat? [Poll]
• The brains that built the Pixel camera just launched ‘Project Indigo,’ not on Android yet [Gallery]
• Google rolling out Pixel VIPs: How to access the widget 

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