PewDiePie says he uses a Google Pixel 9, but it could soon be banned in his country

Last night, I was watching PewDiePie’s latest video, where he talks about how he de-Googled his tech and shares alternatives to try out. While you wouldn’t expect someone like PewDiePie to be a geek, the video is incredibly insightful and worth a watch. That said, I was particularly interested in the segment where he talked about his smartphone. Despite trying to get rid of Google from this tech, he uses a Google smartphone — which is the Pixel 9. This isn’t quite surprising since he was earlier spotted using a Pixel 8.

However, he did find a great way to enjoy the Pixel 9 hardware without Google’s prying eyes. You guessed it, a custom ROM. More specifically, PewDiePiew flashed the privacy-focused GrapheneOS ROM to get out of Google’s control. However, I highlighted a development a few days ago that might deter custom ROM developers from supporting Google Pixel phones, which you can read about here.

While PewDiePie’s efforts to raise awareness about privacy are commendable, I was catching up on the news earlier today and spotted reports about the Pixel 7 being banned in Japan. Yes, that’s where PewDiePie currently resides.

This news, which broke from ET News in Japan, has quite a backstory. A company called Pantech, or more accurately, IdeaHub’s subsidiary Pantech, won a lawsuit against Google. The Tokyo District Court ruled that Google infringed on Pantech’s standard essential patents. Basically, Google has been using a specific piece of technology in its Pixel 7 series phones without permission. This technology is pretty important for 4G communication, specifically how a base station sends an acknowledgment signal to a phone. It’s a key part of how our phones talk to cell towers.

Now, you might be thinking, what’s the big deal with a patent infringement? Courts usually try to get companies to license these technologies fairly. But it seems this court was not liking Google’s casual attitude. The court actually slammed Google for what it called an “insincere attitude” and a lack of cooperation. Google apparently dragged its feet during negotiations and even refused to share sales data for their Pixel phones in Japan. This uncooperative behavior seems to have been a major factor in the court’s decision to issue a sales ban. This isn’t common in Japan for standard essential patents, so it’s a big deal.

As a result of this ruling, Google can’t sell, display, transfer, or even import Pixel 7 series products in Japan. They also have to pay all the lawsuit costs. While the Pixel 7 isn’t Google’s latest phone, and probably isn’t widely sold anymore, the situation doesn’t end there. Pantech is reportedly going after the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series next. They’ve already filed lawsuits for a preliminary injunction against the sale of these newer models in Tokyo and are even trying to get an import ban on all Pixel devices through Japanese customs.

It’s a surprising turn of events for Google in a market where their Pixel phones have actually been gaining a lot of ground. Japan has become one of Google’s stronger regions for Pixel sales outside the US. This legal battle could certainly throw a wrench in their plans. Hopefully things are sorted by the time the Pixel 10 series launches in August.