The Register is reporting that Dell has filed for a trademark for the term ‘Cloud Computing’ with the USPTO, our illustrious government’s patent and trademanrk office. Apparently they have managed to pass the contest phase where anyone with 1/10th of a sense would be able to say, “Hey, Dell! This is about as valid as One Click Buy!” The term is Cloud Computing™ formed from two words which have been in near constant use for the last 40 years; cloud, meaning the internet (formerly known as ARPAnet) and computing, that thing just about everyone does these days. My guess is that in an effort to reduce the cost of running the USPTO they have replaced all human beings with Madagascaran Lemurs and Giant Hissing Cockroaches.

Maybe next we’ll see Microsoft trademark Toilet Paper™ when they fire up their campaign to “Wipe Away Vista” at the introduction of Windows 7. Maybe Cisco could use it to “Wipe Up After LinkSys” and get some reliable consumer gear onto the market. Is there truly nothing left to discover in computing? Has this market become so much like commodity Wheat crops that technologies individual values are nearly worthless and we turn to monetizing simple language just to make a buck? Does Dell truly expect that if it trademarks the phrase ‘Cloud Computing’ that consumers will think that only Dell is doing it? The whole concept of ludicrous in the extreme.

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