ITC to probe Apple for HTC patent infringement

New iPhone 4 models are displayed after Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled it during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, June 7, 2010.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. trade panel will investigate allegations made by HTC Corp that Apple 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."

HTC had said in its complaint filed with the ITC in May that Apple infringed five of its patents related to cellphone directory hardware and software and power-management technology in portable devices.

HTC has asked for a ban on import of Apple's products, most of which are made in countries such as China.

HTC's suit was expected after Apple filed patent infringement suits against the company in March both at the ITC and in the U.S. District Court in Delaware.

While Apple's lawsuit against HTC did not name Google as a defendant, it was seen as a strategic move against Google, whose mobile software powers handsets from Samsung Electronics, Motorola Inc and others.

The ITC, a U.S. trade panel that investigates patent infringement involving imported goods, has become an increasingly popular venue for patent lawsuits because it can bar the importation of products that infringe patents.

Legal wrangling is commonplace in the smartphone market, an industry where many vendors work under cross-licensing agreements.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz, editing by Matthew Lewis)