As if summoning the ghost of Johnny Cash singing his classic “I Won’t Back Down,” HTC has made it clear to patent rival Apple that they also won’t back down from a fight -- and they’re fully prepared to defend its honor.

AppleInsider is reporting on HTC’s first official remarks about Apple’s patent lawsuit against it today, making it clear that they disagree with the claims and they have every intention to defend their reputation “as one of the most innovative companies in the smartphone sector.”

"HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible,” said HTC chief executive Peter Chou in the company’s first public statement on the matter. “From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone."

Apple made waves across the tech world earlier this month when they filed a formal complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission and in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, accusing HTC of violating 20 of its patents related to the technology used in “the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.”

"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," noted Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the day the complaints were filed. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."

While Apple didn’t specifically name Google in its complaints, it’s clear that their open-source Android operating system is the primary target, since HTC is the primary hardware maker for such handsets, including the original G1 and most recently, Google’s own Nexus One -- which added iPhone-style multi-touch in a recent firmware update.

“HTC has always taken a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach to business,” added HTC America vice president Jason Mackenzie. “This has led to long-standing strategic partnerships with the top software, Internet and wireless technology companies in the industry as well as the top U.S., European and Asian mobile operators. It is through these relationships that we have been able to deliver the world’s most diverse series of smartphones to an even more diverse group of people around the world, recognizing that customers have very different needs.”

Mackenzie also told Reuters that HTC plans to issue a formal response to Apple’s claims “within a matter of weeks,” but declined to outline any part of the company’s defensive strategy.