HTC says Apple's patent suit has not affected its operations

According to Reuters, HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou said the suit from Apple, which has accused his company of violating 20 iPhone-related patents, has not affected its operations.

"It's part of business," Chou reportedly said at a news conference. "We need to face it and everyone can talk through it."

His comments come a few days after the ITC agreed to review Apple's allegations of patent violations by HTC. Apple has sought to ban the importation and sale of HTC handsets, which include a number of devices powered by the Google Android mobile operating system.

HTC formally responded to the suit last week, when the company said it has no plans to back down as a result of Apple's legal threat. Google, the creator of the Android mobile operating system that is at the center of the patent infringement suit, has also said it will stand by its partners, including HTC.

Apple's lawsuit is largely believed to be an indirect shot at Google, which is a close partner with HTC in making the Nexus One and myTouch 3G, two phones specifically cited in Apple's complaint. In January, a firmware update to the Nexus One added multi-touch functionality system-wide to the portable device.

The legal battle began in early March, when Apple filed its complaint against HTC, suing the Taiwanese smartphone maker over the alleged infringement of 20 patents related to the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.