The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation 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 USITC said that it would "inverstigate certain portable electronic devices and related software. The products at issue in this investigation are portable electronic devices that utilize certain power management methods and may incorporate hardware and software for telephone directories within mobile telephone systems."

The investigation is based on a complaint filed by HTC Corp. of Taiwan on May 12, 2010. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain portable electronic devices and related software that infringe patents asserted by HTC. The complainant requests that the USITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.

The USITC has identified Apple Inc. as the respondent in this investigation.

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.

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