More Legal Trouble Coming for Microsoft: OneDrive Name Already in Use

29-01-2014

Microsoft has recently announced that it’s renaming SkyDrive to OneDrive in order to avoid a legal dispute with British satellite broadcaster BSkyB over the name, but it turns out that more trouble could emerge soon for the Redmond-based tech giant. OneDrive is a designation that several businesses across the world are already using right now, including a motorparts manufacturer that has strong ties with KFC in Malaysia and Australian company Zipbolt, which makes bolts using this name. At the same time, a car rental business powered by AVIS is also called OneDrive and the same name is being used by a car parts distributor in Portugal. Microsoft claims that its cloud-based storage service was renamed to OneDrive because this new designation “represents our vision for the future,” without saying a thing about the legal issues with BSkyB. “We know that increasingly you will have many devices in your life, but you really want only one place for your most important stuff. One place for all of your photos and videos. One place for all of your documents. One place that is seamlessly connected across all the devices you use. You want OneDrive for everything in your life,” the company said. OneDrive is still in preview form and Microsoft is yet to make the final transition to this name, but it’s pretty clear that Redmond might actually need to reconsider its decision before making the same mistake for the second time. “For current users of either SkyDrive or SkyDrive Pro, you’re all set. The service will continue to operate as you expect and all of your content will be available on OneDrive and OneDrive for Business respectively as the new name is rolled out across the portfolio,” Microsoft noted.