Can you own a cloud? Not if the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has anything to do with it.

And of course they do, they're the USPTO.

Unbeknownst to most at the time, Texas-based Dell Computers attempted to trademark the phrase "cloud computing," way back in March 2007. The application was rejected by the USPTO late last week, according to various reports.

The trademark attempt his the newswires, back in July, when the Patent Office told Dell that the "notice of allowance" had been reached on the application, preventing other companies from objecting to the claim.