Apple has filed a lawsuit against HTC, claiming that HTC has infringed a number of Apple patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.
Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, 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. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
The lawsuit has been filed with the US District Court in Delaware and also with the US International Trade Commission, which has the power to block imports of HTC devices if it rules in Apple's favour.