Microsoft Forced to Rename Metro After a Failure of Due Diligence Discussion

[Andy Patrizio]

The new user interface you've come to know as Metro has a clumsy new name.

Read the full content of this Article: Microsoft Forced to Rename Metro After a Failure of Due Diligence

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[Mobius 1]

Would you like me to METRO that news post for you?

[Kevin]

The thing is, Metro AG is HUGE. It's like they did next to no research, at all, to miss that.

I see a large number of MS employees quietly losing jobs over this.

[MidnightSun]

The thing is, Metro AG is HUGE. It's like they did next to no research, at all, to miss that.

But it's in an entirely difference industry, and does not compete with Microsoft in pretty much any way. It's like The Beetles' Apple Corps suing Apple Inc for trademark violations (which, incidentally, they did). I don't think consumers would be confused by the different terms, and I don't know if a court would even rule in Metro AG's favor in such a case.

If Metro AG demanded Microsoft to drop the Metro branding, that's just ridiculous. Goes to show how ridiculous the trademark system is.

[Mitlov]

The thing is, Metro AG is HUGE. It's like they did next to no research, at all, to miss that.

I see a large number of MS employees quietly losing jobs over this.

But the design language was inspired by the King County Metro public transit system (Microsoft's headquarters is in King County, Washington, and the public transit system there is called the "Metro"), not by Metro AG's grocery stores. And "metro" has been used to refer to public transit systems since long before Metro AG supermarket chain was established (1964).


(red box is from source image, it's not something I did)

Note the 2D chromeless graphic design, the bold use of color, the sans-serif font, etc.

[ThinkRob]

I thought it was "Metro" because it was neat, colorful, flashy, and yet quite straight...



.


Ahem. I'll, uh, show myself out.

[Mitlov]

I thought it was "Metro" because it was neat, colorful, flashy, and yet quite straight...



.


Ahem. I'll, uh, show myself out.

LOL, never thought of that angle before