![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Google-Pixel-7-Pro-showing-back-cover-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
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Hadlee Simons \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
TL;DR<\/p>\n
The Google Pixel<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n ET News<\/a> and Mlex<\/a> report that Pantech has successfully won a court battle in Japan over Google\u2019s patent infringement. This legal victory means that the Pixel 7 series can no longer be sold in the market.<\/p>\n The Japanese court found that Google infringed on Pantech\u2019s 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 \u201ccontrol signal mapping\u201d technology used in LTE networks.<\/p>\n According to ET News, a major reason why the court ruled in favor of a sales ban was Google\u2019s\u00a0\u201cinsincere and uncooperative attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n More Pixel phones to be banned in Japan?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s bottom line in the region. This would be a particularly large blow for Google as it\u2019s been among the top three players in Japan for a while now. Counterpoint Research also noted that Japan beat the US<\/a> for Pixel shipments back in Q1 2023.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cpatent monetization business.\u201d It\u2019s aggressively gone after major companies, earning legal wins over OnePlus and Pokemon Go developer Niantic. It\u2019s also settled with smartphone brand BLU.<\/p>\n