Actually, in the US, a company or individual can file suit against you for anything, whether it's a legitimate claim or not. Larger or more aggressive companies may threaten you with legal action or a Cease and Desist if they're trying to protect their trademarks.

An example of this: About eight years ago, the trademark holder of a well-known brand threatened us because we were comparing our game to theirs. They wanted us to take down the entire game, so we brought out the big guns -- our lawyer shot back that our usage was completely legal, and to go piss up a rope. They did, but we took down that comparison just to be safe. Had we not shot back with a lawyer, the other company would likely not have sued -- they'd have sent over a formal cease and desist, then made trouble with our digital distributors (who would have just delisted our game). The bottom line is that they'd have made trouble for us.

> every name we think of, we can type it into google and see some idiotic wanna-be site with the same name

If you're finding these names, you don't want 'em anyway. Here's our rules for naming games:

Make it remarkable. Aaaaa!'s unusual name (www.dejobaan.com/aaaaa) gave the press an extra something to talk about. People remembered it.

It's okay if people hate it. Most people thought Aaaaa! was cool, and that it conveyed the fun we had in writing the game. Some people thought it was the stupidest name ever, and said we should stop writing games. Arguments have popped up on message boards because of this. We broke Steam because of the length. Discussion leads to buzz.

Make it visually interesting. "Halo, Doom, Hello Kitty, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!, and Mass Effect walk into a bar..."
It's okay if it's an odd name to say. I was talking to a group of students, and one of them started primal-screaming the game's name when I asked if anyone knew what we were working on. Everyone laughed. Life was good.

Make it descriptive. AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity pretty much sums up that it's action game about falling. "ooo! ooO! oOO! OOO! -- Grab a Loop and Mix a Beat" is the working title of our next game, which is clearly about growing Cheerios. (Oops. Maybe not.)

If it feels comfortable, trash it. Write the name out. Say it. Roll it around on your tongue. Savor it. Pass it back and forth amongst everyone. Does it feel like a name that can stand up there alongside the rest? Does your team find it a comfortable name? Does it really grow on you after you think about it for a while? Trash it, and go with something else.

Your mileage may vary, and you might go with different rules -- but a good, unique, notable name has helped our most recent game get press coverage.