This won't deter Deutsche Telekom, which previously registered the colour magenta as a trade mark in the telecom and on-line services sector. In July 2001 the German telco warned book publishing web site my-favourite-book.com over the use of the colour on its site.
Computing notes that applications have been made to the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market; but the only results appearing in the search engines of both bodies are for figurative marks – where the word HotSpot is displayed as part of a logo, in Deutsche Telekom's distinctive magenta and grey colouring, which seems much more reasonable.
It is less clear if the company has separate pending applications for the word in isolation, as Computing implies. If so, it could face objections from Telefonica: the Spanish telco already does have a registration with the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market for the two-word variant "HOT SPOT" as a trade mark when used in connection with telecommunications or communications by computer networks or services. The registration was granted on 20th March this year.