So-called 'patent wars' are raging between large technology firms like Apple, Motorola Mobility and Samsung, as they vie for market share in the burgeoning smartphone and tablet market.

These battles are being fought in courtrooms by intellectual property (IP) lawyers across the globe, as big firms seek to protect the elements of their product that make them stand out from the crowd.

Geoff McCormick, director of UK design firm The Alloy, which devises technology products, took apart an iPhone to explain the thousands of pieces of intellectual property that are contained in a modern smartphone.

Patent disputes are increasingly defining the way smartphones and tablets develop - both what they do, and how they look - and the issue will loom large at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February, the industry's annual gathering.

Video Journalist: Dougal Shaw