Does Cox Have a 'Flare' for Cloud TV?

In the ever-popular Trolling for Trademarks Dept.: Cox Communications last week filed for trademark protection on “Flare” and “My Flare,” which among other things cover access to streaming Internet video and “cloud storage services.”

How does Cox plan to use the “Flare” names? (Not to be confused with the superheroine of the same name -- see left.) It’s not saying just yet.

“Filing trademark applications is just one aspect of our regular efforts to develop new and enhance existing products and services,” Cox said in a statement. “In this hypercompetitive environment for telecommunications and entertainment services, we are committed to delighting our customers and connecting them to things they care about.”

According to the operator’s Feb. 12 filings with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, both “Flare” and “My Flare” cover “provision of telecommunication access to video, music, games and audio content provided via video-on-demand, interactive television, pay-per-view and pay television subscription services; streaming of video and audio content via the Internet and other electronic communications networks” as well as “computer services, namely, cloud storage services.”

As always, the caveat on trademark filings is that sometimes companies end up never using them.

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