TAIPEI -- Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp. Tuesday denied it was infringing on the patents of Apple Inc., following a new complaint by Apple to the US International Trade Commission (ITC).

In a statement on its official website, HTC expressed regret over Apple's latest move against the company and denied all the patent infringement complaints laid by the U.S. high-tech giant.

Following a similar complaint in March, Apple filed a new one on Monday claiming that HTC infringed on seven of its utility and design patents and demanding a ban on the Taiwan company's products in the U.S. market.

The ITC will decide whether it will review the case within a month.

In March, Apple complained to the ITC that HTC built smartphones infringed on 20 of Apple's patents. HTC retaliated by claiming that Apple had infringed on its patents.

HTC said in its Tuesday statement that it was disappointed by Apple's move to influence fair market competition through legal means, and it vowed to do its best to protect its intellectual property rights.

The company's shares dropped Tuesday morning. As of 1:30 p.m., its shares had fallen 6.92 percent to 915 NT dollars (about $32.2), while the benchmark weighted index was only down 2.02 percent at 8,479.90.

Observers believe that the Apple-HTC spat is mostly related to Apple's competition with Android. HTC is the second largest supporter of Android after Samsung.

Apple is also seeking a ban on Samsung's devices in the US market.