Google has been gaining excellent traction with its recent Pixel devices, but that momentum might come to a screeching halt as a Japanese court has ruled that the company has infringed on patents. While it doesn’t expand to all devices just yet, the Pixel 7 series has been banned from being sold in Japan.
For most people, this isn’t going to really be a big deal since it’s an older device that isn’t really available from many retailers or carriers. Google doesn’t even officially have the Pixel 7 available for sale on its own website. However, Pantech, the company behind the original patent filing and court case has set its sights on Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series as well.
This could become a really big deal
The information comes to us from ETNews using translation and provides details about the patent Google infringed on and how things might proceed in the near future (via 9to5Google). According to the article, Pantech holds a patent on technology that’s important in making 4G communications work.
What’s important to note here is that this isn’t a common occurrence in Japan, with the news outlet sharing that this is the first case where a product has been banned from sale due to “standard patent infringement”. As far as why things became this extreme, it’s noted multiple times that Google had an “insincere attitude”, which could have led to the products using this tech being banned.
As of now, this only applies to one product, the Pixel 7, which doesn’t look to be sold by Google at this point in time. However, the Pixel 7a is still being made available from some wireless carriers, along with Google’s more recent handsets, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series. As stated before, Pantech is seeking a ban on all Pixel products, which could become a big deal.
Google is set to introduce new handsets in just a couple of months with its latest Pixel 10 series phones. While the brand hasn’t made any official announcements, we have been seeing leaks about its specifications and features. This could be Google’s most refined products to date, giving users an unparalleled experience with Android.
