Apple and Samsung face off in court

Lawyers for technology giants Apple and Samsung will fire the first shots in the firms' "rip-off" court battle today.

A jury has been selected to decide the merits of Apple's claims that Samsung Electronics' smartphones and computer tablets are illegal copies of the iPhone and iPad.

Lawyers for both sides are expected to deliver their opening arguments in a San Jose, California, court, followed by Apple calling its first witness.

Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung last year, claiming the world's largest technology company's smartphones and computer tablets imitated its popular iPhone and iPad products.

Cupertino-based Apple is demanding $2.5bn (€2bn) in damages - an award that would dwarf the largest patent-related verdict to date.

Samsung claims that Apple is guilty of stealing and some of the technology at issue has been industry standards for years.