Dell wants to patent “cloud computing” term

In a surprising silent move by Dell, one of the U.S. biggest computer vendor is applying to trademark the term "cloud computing," according to a document on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site.

According to PC World; the application has reached the Notice of Allowance phase, where a company receives "a written notification from the USPTO that a specific mark has survived the opposition period ... and has consequently been allowed for registration," according to the USPTO Web site. The opposition period gives other parties a chance to object to an application.

But that doesn't mean a trademark has been registered yet. "Receiving a notice of allowance is another step on the way to registration," the USPTO says on its Web site.

In the application, Dell describes cloud computing as "custom manufacture of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others." Dell officials declined to comment on the application.

The term “cloud computing” could be the future of our today computing experience, as the netbooks are getting more attention and have more choice of options for mobile users.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]