As if it wasn’t enough that Apple and HTC were suing each other, but now it looks like Apple is taking it to the next level by notifying the ITC that they are filing claims in Virginia federal court, alleging that HTC engaged in various anti-competitive practices pertaining to the two standards-essential patents they are using against Apple. The Cupertino company is also alleging seven claims of misconduct by HTC, such as fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy along with various federal and state antitrust violations. This follows a recent ruling by a judge that pretty much denied HTC’s use of five patents against Apple, claiming that since they were “borrowed” from Google, they did not acquire the proper rights to use them. We can’t help but feel that the latest claim does seem like they are stretching it by quite a bit, but we guess we will have to wait and see if the federal court will agree with Apple’s claims. Until then, be sure to check back with us for more updates.