Apple is suing Taiwan’s HTC for alleged patent infringement, claiming the manufacturer of the Nexus One smartphone (based on Google’s Android platform) has violated patents related to the iPhone. Apple says 20 patents are involved, relating to the iPhone’s “user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.” The lawsuit was filed concurrently with the US International Trade Commission and in US District Court in Delaware. “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,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.” No further details were released, though it is thought that a key element that triggered the lawsuit is that in February HTC released handsets which use “pinch-to-zoom” functionality resembling that of the iPhone. HTC appeared to be completely surprised by the filing, saying it had only just learned about Apple’s legal action and has not had the chance to investigate the filing. “Until we have had this opportunity, we are unable to comment on the validity of the claims being made against HTC,” it said in a statement.

HTC was the first company to manufacture a smartphone based on Google’s Android operating system (a rival to Apple’s iPhone OS) and is a major backer of the platform. Apple’s moves are the latest legal steps in the mobile industry; in December Apple countersued Nokia, accusing the world’s largest handset vendor of infringing on 13 of its patents (following a lawsuit from Nokia in October alleging the iPhone infringed on ten of its own patents), whilst Apple itself (as well as BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion) in January was hit with claims that its smartphones infringe on Kodak’s digital-imaging technology.