It has emerged that PlayStation platform holder Sony has trademarked the name ‘PS Cloud’ – and it did so just one day after OnLive lifted the lid on its streaming games technology at GDC last week.

OnLive is a new games system based around the concept of cloud computing – where users access content stored on a remote server, negating the need for bespoke hardware at the user end.

A filing made with the US Patent and Trademark Office shows that on March 24th, one day after OnLive’s GDC presentation, Sony moved to trademark the name ‘PS Cloud’.

Speculation as to what this may or may not mean abounds. The obvious answer is that Sony is simply protecting its brands against possible advances in games technology. Another possibility might be for an upcoming streaming games service on the internet-enabled PSP.

Other theories claim that Sony is planning an OnLive-like service of its own – perhaps for use in the PS4.