Does SpyDrive have a nice ring to it? We think it does, though Microsoft is unlikely to agree, even though we could argue that there’s an element of truth to the name :)

But anyway, first things first, what’s all the fuzz about SkyDrive this morning?

The problem is that Microsoft has just lost a trademark dispute with the UK’s Sky Broadcasting Group, one of the largest pay-TV broadcasters in Europe.  A London judge ruled that Microsoft’s SkyDrive cloud service infringed upon BSkyB’s “Sky” trademark.  The judge’s ruling is valid across the entire European Union, and what this means is that either Microsoft pays BSkyB to use the word “Sky” with its cloud service, or else changes the name of the service altogether.

At first, Microsoft wanted to appeal the decision but the two companies have since come together to agree terms.  Microsoft will no longer file an appeal and BSkyB has agreed that Microsoft can still use the SkyDrive brand “for a reasonable period of time to allow for an orderly transition to a new brand.”

“We’re glad to have resolution of this naming dispute, and will continue to deliver the great service our hundreds of millions of customers expect, providing the best way to always have your files with you,” Microsoft said in a statement, confirming that the SkyDrive brand will soon be replaced.

The question now is, what would Microsoft call it’s cloud service now that “SkyDrive,” or anything else that contains the word “Sky” is off the menu?

The Naming Game:

The comments section of The Verge article saw readers throwing around hundreds of new name suggestions for Microsoft. Some I found funny, some left me confused, while others got me thinking, “Not bad.”

Here’s a small sample of some of those suggestions:

BallmerDrive – This one is clearly (and sadly) not happening, as it’s highly doubtful a company as enormous as Microsoft would name a product or service after a particular person, no matter how cocky that person might be!

Files with Friends – This sounds kind cool, but then again, they’d have to deal with Zynga if they dared to name it this. And as we saw yesterday, the social gaming company is clearly not too happy about others using the “with Friends” part.

Files with Benefits – Sounds cute, and would probably get Zynga off of MS’s back, but I doubt that companies would be so willing to use a service named as such to share files with investors, clients or partners.

PsyDrive – Since it sounds a lot like “SkyDrive” but it doesn’t use the word “Sky”, this would get Microsoft off the hook.  Unfortunately, it’s not likely that Microsoft is going to want to pay homage to a certain Korean pop star.

NSADrive – This might make sense since Microsoft apparently allows the NSA full access to its cloud servers anyway – basically calling it what it is, if you like. But saying that, I doubt the NSA would be all that happy about it and of course if Microsoft really did this, it’s a full-on admission that they do indeed aid the NSA in spying.

PRISM RT – “Invasive yet ineffectual,” as described by Ansel in the comments section.  But likely won’t be happening as well.

Cloud Remotely Available Platter – Check the Acronym ;)

There were also a few sensible suggestions that could realistically get the nod, such as:

MSDrive – Which makes perfect sense.

SkypeDrive – To spite BSkyB.

OneDrive – Reminiscent of how Microsoft named the new Xbox console, given their rather unimaginative marketing style of late, this one surely has to be a contender.

mCloud – Minimalistic but it would work :)

MicroDrive – But then again, there’s nothing micro about Microsoft – except maybe their brand naming department, which doesn’t seem capable of properly naming products without getting into legal trouble.

In reality, it doesn’t really matter if Microsoft changes the name of the service, because people will probably still call it SkyDrive anyway (just like many people still refer to Google Drive as Google Docs), and even if they don’t, existing users won’t suddenly stop using it due to a name change.

It’s doubtful if people would go and protest the name change – in fact, most people probably won’t even know it happened.