If the judgment is made final, HTC could be banned from importing phones to the U.S.

It's the latest blow to Google's Android operating system, which is being attacked by competitors including Apple, Microsoft and Oracle.

The initial determination will now be reviewed by a larger panel of ITC judges, who can uphold or reject it.

The two patents appear to be fundamental to Android, according to Florian Mueller, a patent expert. "They are very likely to be infringed by code that is at the core of Android," . The same patents are also at the heart of a dispute between Apple and Motorola, he said.

Apple could choose to license the technology to HTC, but Mueller thinks Apple won't do so unless HTC has patents that Apple needs in return.