HTC sues Apple to block sales of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch in U.S.

In March, Apple sued smartphone maker HTC for 20 counts of patent infringement, alleging the company had "stolen [its] patented inventions" for the iPhone.

Today, HTC fired back at Apple in the same fashion, filing a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to stop the sale of the iPhone, iPad and iPod in the United States. The complaint accuses Apple of five counts of infringement.

"As the innovator of the original Windows Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition in 2002 and the first Android smartphone in 2008, HTC believes the industry should be driven by healthy competition and innovation that offer consumers the best, most accessible mobile experiences possible," said a statement from Jason Mackenzie, HTC's vice president of North America today. "We are taking this action against Apple to protect our intellectual property, our industry partners, and most importantly our customers that use HTC phones."