“Cloud Computing” – Dell Wants To Trademark Term

Sam Johnston, a member of the Cloud Computing group on Google Groups found a trademark application with serial number 77139082. The application is from Dell and is for the term "cloud computing". The application was made about a year ago.  Cloud computing is as general a term these days as mp3 or floppy disk. Would anyone receive a trademark on those terms today? I guess the question is whether the term was as common when Dell initially filed their trademark application.

Cyndy Aleo-Carreira from The Industry Standard found that this is not the first time that a company has attempted to trademark the phrase. She notes, "The first trademark application was made in 1998 under serial number 75291765 by NetCentric Corporation, a company that used to provide "carrier-class Internet fax technology." The application was killed less than a year later."

I haven’t heard anyone use cloud computing and Dell in the same sentence. Companies I do hear associated with cloud computing include: our host Mosso, AppNexus, SmugVault, Wuala and Etelos on the business side. Dell should stick to making the great, really great computers they make and their awesome tech support.