Lawyers in the patent dispute betwen Apple and Samsung have delivered their closing arguments in the high-profile trial, with Apple pursuing $2.75bn (£1.7bn) in damages, reports The Recorder.

The dispute centres around the claim that Samsung ripped off the unique design features of Apple's iPad and iPhone.

Samsung's lawyer, Charles Verhoeven of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, told the nine-member jury that Apple is threatening to ruin the culture of Silicon Valley.

"Think about Silicon Valley back in the day," Verhoeven said, describing what he called the Valley's culture of free enterprise. "Your decision could change all that.

"Rather than compete in the marketplace, Apple is seeking a competitive edge in the courtroom" with heavyhanded patent litigation, he contended.

Apple's lawyer, Morrison & Foerster partner Harold McElhinny, had a more natural story to tell as the tech giants wrapped up their four-week trial over tablet and smartphone design and functionality.

"Steve Jobs started the iPhone development project in 2003," McElhinny told the jury. By 2007 the company was selling a smartphone that Time magazine hailed on its cover as the invention of the year. Before long, Samsung was ripping off Apple's four-years of 'hard work and ingenuity' by "copying the world's most successful product."

Disputing Samsung's claim that the iPhone design was obvious, McElhinny said "everyone, even Samsung, thought that the iPhone changed the world".

"Samsung was the iPhone's biggest fan," he said. "When they couldn't compete with it, they copied it."

Verhoeven described Apple's request for $2.75bn in damages as "a ridiculous number," that does not reflect anything close to lost profits.

"They know, like you know and I know," Verhoeven told the jury, "that no-one is ever going to be confused when they buy a very expensive phone with a multi-year contract."

Jurors are expected to begin their deliberations today (22 August).

The Recorder is a US affiliate title of Legal Week.