Well this is certainly an easy story to make fun of. Patently Apple directs us to a patent filing from Google which appears to resemble, in rather specific detail, a patent diagram from one of Apple’s own patent filings.

What you see above is a Google patent drawing detailing how presence detection might be implemented in future Chromebooks.

Below is a patent drawing from Apple from an already granted patent. Notice anything in common? Or rather, a more appropriate question or challenge would be to point out any differences between the two diagrams. Indeed, the only difference I see is that that video camera located at the top of the laptop is circular in Google’s laptop and horizontal on Apple’s.

Patently Apple adds:

As you could see for yourself, the hand positioning in the Google patent figure is absolutely identical to Apple’s granted patent figure. Also notice that the trackpad strip is also identical. The thing is that Google’s other patent figures noted in their recent patent filing don’t illustrate a wide strip trackpad which further proves that Google’s team just ripped the graphic from Apple’s patent. On the flipside, Apple’s patent is in fact pertaining to a wide trackpad and for the same concept of presence detection as one of [the] invention’s functions.

With Apple already engaged in a range of lawsuits involving Google’s Android partners, it’s incredible to see Google file a patent application that uses a nearly identical diagram as one already filed by Apple.

A commenter on Patently Apple points out that one possible explanation is that Google “hired the same patent drawing artist” Apple used and that said artist is merely “reusing components.”

Whatever the explanation, it’s not a good look.