Microsoft: "Metro" out, "Windows 8-style UI" in

Microsoft has been using the "Metro" name to describe the new geometric, typography-heavy look-and-feel that is central to Windows 8—and is spreading across the company's entire range of products—ever since it first showed off Windows Phone.
But sources are telling us that this is coming to an abrupt end after the company's Legal and Corporate Affairs team sent out a memo banning the word "Metro." LCA's memo reportedly says that Microsoft has been threatened with legal action for infringing on "Metro" trademarks held by German retailer Metro AG.

Read more at:
Microsoft: “Metro” out, “Windows 8-style UI” in, amid rumors of a trademark dispute | Ars Technica
 
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Call it FUDSOFT
(Forced Upon Desktop, Suitable Only For Tablet)
 

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LOLL pp.

They should just call it the Phone Interface.

Desktop should be renamed the Main Interface.
 

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I really don't see how this can be enforced, after all the two companies are not selling identical merchandise and metro is a very common word.

That being said the word "metro" has a distinct NEGATIVE connotation to it at least in the USA where people tend to think of it being used with the word sexual, as in the phrase "Metro Sexual". Yes, metro sexuals are slightly effeminate males who are straight but like to be in touch with their feelings and also usually end up buying over priced property or old run down housing in cities where it is trendy to "gentrify" the areas once where skid row housed those down on their luck. Of course those poor souls are run off to be replaced by expensive town homes with BMWs parked outside.

:roflmao:
 

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I suspect it is more likely a reaction to all of the "Metro Sucks" comments/reports on the Internet.

"If we change the name, no one will notice it is still the same awful interface." :rolleyes:
 

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Not a fan of wikipedia sourcing but apparently no idiot reporter has bothered to do this:

Did Metro AG ever sue Metro Recordings, the UK music label? Or the 10 billion Metro transportation systems around the world? Or the Metro Broadcast Corporation in Hong Kong? Or Metro TV in Indonesia, or Metro FM radio in South Africa? Or Metro Radio in the UK? Or the Metro Newspapers Co. in Calif.? Or the Metro International media company in Sweden? Or the Metro newspaper of Belgium? Or the Metro newspaper of the UK? Or the Metro newspaper of Zimbabwe? Or Metro the Mexican wrestler? Or the Metro F.C. of New Zealand?

Metro, a department store chain based in Singapore
Metro, a Greek supermarket chain
MetroCentre, largest indoor shopping mall in the European Union
METRO Foods Trading, retailer in Cyprus
Metro Inc., a Canadian supermarket chain


What about the Deltas?
Delta Airlines
Delta pen manufacturer
Delta Cafés, a Portuguese coffee roasting and coffee packaging company
Delta Electricity, an Australian power generation company
Delta Electronics, a power supplies and brushless fans manufacturer
Delta Faucet Company, a plumbing fixtures company
Delta Galil Industries, an Israeli textile company
Delta Holding, a Serbian import-export, banking, insurance and retail corporation
Delta Hotels, a Canadian hotel chain
Delta Machinery, a stationary power tools and equipment company
Delta Motor Corporation, a South African car manufacturer owned by General Motors
Visa Delta

Target is a big retailer in the U.S. There's also a big retail company in Australia called Target and a big retail company in Canada called Target and none are related.

I'm not saying there's absolutely no truth to this reason here. But I mean, c'mon....

Yeah I think it's got more to do with real, actual bad PR at the moment than hypothetical lawsuits. This thing is about to launch and they've put their entire company's reputation on the line with Metro - and at the last minute they're pulling it?

Even if the reason is 100% lawsuits, did no one IN THE ENTIRE COMPANY ever bother to think about this years ago when they were coming up with the concept?

Geez.
 

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Metro = Train :)

Windows 8 = Train Wreck :haha:
 

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Is it just the name they are dropping or the whole UI ?


We can but hope.
 

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I mentioned some time ago (and again today in another thread). They should rename it "Squares" or... possibly "Boxes".
 

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Just the name...

I think that the internal MS lawyers are just being jumpy and they have decided to duck out of being a target for potential lawsuits. In one case (the article I posted) said they wanted developers to refer to it as "The New Interface" but some other Microsoft people have been casually referring to is as the "Windows 8 Interface" or the "Windows 8 Style". Neither of which rolls off the tongue :/

I'd vote for calling it "Colorforms UI" but the lawyers would shoot that down pretty quick :D
 

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They can call it anything they want , it will still be ugly :roflmao:
 

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Col Travis has a point.

Might be something to do with distancing themselves from the bad publicity Metro has received.
 

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Very funny, guys. Somehow I intuitively knew some of you would have some sarcastic, but humorous comments. :p

Obviously a German company owns the copyrights to the word "Metro". It is, of course, an abbreviation to Metropolitan. I would think that the Swiss government or a Swiss company would have made claim, since the design was created there back in the 50's. International Typographic Style - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Any which way, I think it to be childish to dispute. How about all others that use the word? Metro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's just like the dispute between Miller and other beer companies about the word "Lite". Gimme a break! Minor dispute compared with our other worldwide human problems!

Since M$ is heeding to the owner, I suggest Metropolitan 8. Metropolitan has relation to the words "fast" or "quicker" in modern times. Therefore Metropolitan 8 to be a quicker way to navigate just as a high-speed train. Or copyright the word Metro8. Can't dispute that if one creates a word. How about Metro8UI?

All in all, a beautiful, well-thought-out interface. :)
 

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I really don't see how this can be enforced, after all the two companies are not selling identical merchandise and metro is a very common word.

That being said the word "metro" has a distinct NEGATIVE connotation to it at least in the USA where people tend to think of it being used with the word sexual, as in the phrase "Metro Sexual". Yes, metro sexuals are slightly effeminate males who are straight but like to be in touch with their feelings and also usually end up buying over priced property or old run down housing in cities where it is trendy to "gentrify" the areas once where skid row housed those down on their luck. Of course those poor souls are run off to be replaced by expensive town homes with BMWs parked outside.

:roflmao:

"Metro-sexual" is so 2005. Anyways, I could care less what they call it, it still sucks and is 10 steps backwards for the Windows OS.
 

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"Metro-sexual" is so 2005. Anyways, I could care less what they call it, it still sucks and is 10 steps backwards for the Windows OS.

It's interesting, even though the term has faded from as much use as a few years ago, the person it describes still seems to be around in great numbers. Unfortunately. :haha:
 

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