The trial's first witness, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said the relationship between the companies has soured since Samsung launched the Galaxy smartphone.
"It appeared that Samsung was going to be doing a lot of copying of our product. It looked like an attempt to copy the iPhone," he said.
Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was widely invoked throughout opening day.
Apple's McElhinny asked jurors to remember where they were on Jan. 9, 2007, and he shared video of Jobs proudly unveiling the iPhone to cheering crowds that day in San Francisco.
"Samsung went far beyond competitive intelligence and crossed into the dark side of intentionally copying," McElhinny said.
Quinn countered that Apple is claiming overly broad rights to ideas.
"They don't own the only way to search on a phone, they don't own the only way to sync, they don't own the only way to unlock with a swipe," he said.
Consumers may end up paying the ultimate price in the case. Experts say the litigation could lead to more expensive smartphones and devices, and slow the overall pace of mobile innovation.
Rutgers Law School professor Michael A. Carrier said the litigation is "a drain on employees' time and could lead to companies reinventing the wheel to try to steer clear of patents."
