Apple goes after Google fan HTC

More toing and froing in the world of patent wars this week, as Apple hit Taiwanese manufacturer HTC with the legal stick for infringing on iPhone related patents.

In a suit filed with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and in the US District Court in Delaware, Apple alleges that HTC has infringed on 20 Apple patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.

Patent lawsuits are commonplace in the mobile industry – Apple is presently embroiled in a lawsuit with Finnish handset manufacturer Nokia. Nokia sued Apple in October over allegations that the iPhone infringes upon ten of its patents. Apple responded with a countersuit in December, claiming that Nokia is infringing 13 Apple patents.

HTC has recently shaken off its cloak of anonymity as a quiet, white label device manufacturer, leading the charge on Android adoption with the production of such devices as the G1 and Google Nexus One.

Apple is looking for an injunction that would prevent HTC importing and selling certain devices in the US, but these cases often follow a similar pattern – trundling along for years without any resolution.