Google Faces Legal Setback In Japan: Pixel 7 Series Sales Blocked Amid Patent Dispute With South Korean Phone Maker
Google has faced a legal setback in Japan, where a court ruled that it infringed on Pantech's patents related to LTE signal mapping technology. This ruling has led to a ban on the sale, display, transfer, or import of its Pixel 7 series smartphones in Japan. Although this may not significantly impact Google's global operations, Japan is an important market for the Pixel brand. Following the ruling, Alphabet Inc.'s shares saw a slight decline in after-hours trading.
Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google has been dealt a legal blow in Japan as a court has ruled that the company infringed on patents held by Pantech, resulting in a ban on the sale of its Pixel 7 series smartphones.
What Happened: A Japanese court has ruled that Google violated a patent owned by Pantech, a South Korean phone maker, related to signal mapping technology in LTE networks, a core component of 4G communications, reported 9To5Google, citing ET News.
As a result, Google is now prohibited from selling, displaying, transferring, or importing its Pixel 7 series devices in Japan. The court criticized Google's approach to the dispute, describing it as insincere.
Pantech, which has not released any new phones recently, is pursuing further sales bans for Google's Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 models, although it remains unclear whether these efforts will succeed.
Google did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments.
Why It’s Important: While the sales ban on Pixel 7 devices in Japan may not significantly impact Google's global operations, Japan has become a key market for the Pixel brand, the report said.
The Pixel 7 series, particularly the Pixel 7a, contributed to a surge in sales for Google in Japan in 2023.
According to Statcounter Global Stats, as of May 2025, Apple Inc. AAPL dominated the mobile vendor market in Japan with a share of 62.46%.
Google held a distant second place with 5.81%, followed closely by Xiaomi XIACF at 5.72%. The “Unknown” category accounted for 5.66%, while Samsung Electronics Co. SSNLF and Sony Corporation SONY rounded out the top five, with market shares of 5.49% and 3.96%, respectively.
Price Action: Alphabet Inc.’s Class A shares dipped 0.081% in after-hours trading, while Class C shares fell 0.13%, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate a positive outlook for GOOG in the short and medium term, but point to a declining trend over the long term. More detailed performance insights are available here.
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