International Trade Commission to probe HTC allegations that Apple infringes its technology

A U.S. trade panel said Friday that it would investigate allegations made by HTC Corp. that Apple Inc. infringes its technology, as HTC seeks to win a ban on the U.S. sale of iPhones, iPads and iPods.

The International Trade Commission said in a brief notice that it would take up the investigation, which has to do with “certain portable devices and related software.”

The trade commission, which investigates patent infringement involving imported goods, has become an increasingly popular venue for such fights because it can bar the importation of products that infringe patents.

HTC had filed its complaint against Apple with the trade commission in May. The Taiwan firm alleged that Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple infringed five of its patents related to cellphone directory hardware and software and power-management technology in portable devices.

Such legal wrangling has become commonplace in the smart phone market, an industry where many vendors work under cross-licensing agreements.

Apple had filed patent infringement suits against HTC in March, with both the trade commission and in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. Although Apple’s lawsuit against HTC did not name Google Inc. as a defendant, it was seen as a strategic move against Google, whose mobile software powers handsets from Samsung Electronics and others.