by: Susan Decker | Bloomberg.com

Apple Inc. (AAPL) filed an enforcement action at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, seeking an emergency order that would block imports of HTC Corp.’s (2498) newest phones and tablet computers.

HTC had been ordered by the commission to remove a function patented by Apple for data-detection technology if it wanted to continue selling its mobile phones in the U.S. Apple contends products including the HTC One X, HTC One S, HTC EVO 4G LTE phones and Flyer tablets continue to infringe its patent even after an exclusion order was issued in December.