As rivalry in the smartphone market hots up, with Apple's iPhone facing increased competition from Google and Nokia, tension around patents infringements remain high.
The lawsuit filed with the US International Trade Commission and District Court in Delaware against HTC, is over the infringement of 20 Apple patents relating to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.
Apple's chief executive Steve Jobs said: "We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it."
Job added: "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
Last October, Apple faced an infringement lawsuit filed by Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, with Nokia claiming the iPhone violated its patents. However, it was met by a countersuit by Apple.
Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, followed in 2008 by the App store, which now offers more than 150,000 mobile apps across 90 countries.
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