A Tokyo district court has banned the sale of Google’s Pixel 7 series smartphones in Japan after finding the company guilty of infringing on a standard-essential patent related to LTE modem technology, owned by Korean firm Pantech.
The patent in question covers methods for managing communication between mobile devices and cellular towers—critical for LTE connectivity. Standard-essential patents are typically licensed under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) terms, but Google reportedly failed to obtain proper licensing, leading to the court’s decision.
Key Takeaways:
- The ban currently applies only to Pixel 7 series, but Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 devices may soon face similar risks.
- The court criticized Google’s lack of cooperation during the proceedings, which reportedly influenced the decision.
- Japan is a strategic market for Google, where it holds a 5.81% smartphone market share, second only to Apple (62.46%).
- Any extension of this ban could threaten Google’s foothold in Japan—especially ahead of the anticipated Pixel 10 launch.
As Google gears up to unveil its next-gen Pixel devices, patent compliance and licensing will be critical to ensuring unimpeded market expansion, particularly in jurisdictions with strict IP enforcement like Japan.
