A potential trademark dispute has forced Microsoft to drop the Metro name for Windows 8's blocky, tile-based interface.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19108952


Comments (Page 3)
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on Aug 08, 2012

haven't paid attention.. but did they actually file suit?

 

or is it more like a quiet word in the background between chums?

on Aug 08, 2012

the term Metro is not as generic in German as it is in American Australian.

also Metro owns the biggest chain of consumer electronics retail stores in Europe. just imagine they would have named it "Best Buy".

on Aug 08, 2012

the term Metro is not as generic in German as it is in American Australian.

It's only generic here because it relates to anything from brothels and tattoo parlours to pubs and boutiques.  Moreover, Aussies aren't greedy about it, either.  It seems anyone here can stick a 'Metro' in their business name if it fits well enough, and nobody's going to sue over it.  Nah, it'd take more than that to get us up in arms... like serving us warm beer and cold meat pies.  Yup, could pretty near start a riot, doing that.

also Metro owns the biggest chain of consumer electronics retail stores in Europe. just imagine they would have named it "Best Buy".

Now that would have been interesting... naming it 'Best Buy'.  Yup, there would've been a few Yanks getting their knickers in a knot over that one... law suits aplenty and potential international incidents.  It was probably wise to have named it metro instead, but that sure as hell ruined all the fun for we onlookers... damned party poopers.

alaknebs
or is it more like a quiet word in the background between chums?

Given what Microsoft has done to Windows in Win 8 [with the interface formerly known as Princ... er, Metro] I dunno it has any chums anymore.  There would be a few former chums, but for the most part, MS' friends are departing in droves, like rats from a sinking ship.

on Aug 08, 2012

I wonder... I mainly read stuff here on about "Metro" and get the overall impression that most of us really dislike it....is it just in these parts or is it as Disliked overall on the web ?

on Aug 09, 2012

neone6
I wonder... I mainly read stuff here on about "Metro" and get the overall impression that most of us really dislike it....is it just in these parts or is it as Disliked overall on the web ?

i guess its normal that a skinning community is offended by the look of the ( new interface ) lol
Its ugly and yes it has 2 shapes only but it is fast and with fast i mean real real fast...I work with it for a week now and you have everything in sight its crazy...way less way points from A-D unless the shutdown and the unnamed interface shut application- but that may change...till retail
If you think back xp users that have seen vista acted the same while most of them now use vista or 7...If a little time has passed and if there is the first service pack for 8 and more good reports than bad reports these people will go for it aswell. Even if its ugly.
To answer the web question yes its also disliked on the web, but more and more people that actually installed the RP are quite impressed...
I think that most of the bad statements about it come from people that haven't tested it and just repeating what others said experiencing the cp.
I also want my windows look good and i want to have it the way i like it - but i also want my windows to be fucking fast and i think the step isnt totally wrong that MS took.
Two things are necessary for our work: untiring perseverance and the willingness to put a lot of time and effort into something, to throw it away again.

on Aug 09, 2012

Well, for me goes; I´m a Skinner and to me it´s a BIG part of my life. I LOVE skinning. For me I´m happy people "out there" dislike it aswell because if in the end I can´t skin it I couldn´t give a rats ass about how fast it is. 

 

Thanx 4 the INFO Rollo ! 

on Aug 09, 2012

 

neone6
Well, for me goes; I´m a Skinner and to me it´s a BIG part of my life. I LOVE skinning. For me I´m happy people "out there" dislike it aswell because if in the end I can´t skin it I couldn´t give a rats ass about how fast it is.  

 

Thanx 4 the INFO Rollo ! 

look below this post was not shown so i made another...   sorry for double posting but wincustomize is strange today
 

on Aug 09, 2012

alaknebs
or is it more like a quiet word in the background between chums?

Fairly chummy. Metro AG owns a chain of electronics stores which sell Microsoft products, among other things.

on Aug 09, 2012

ok here it goes again replys today are a pain in the - lower back... the site is so bugged that ill have to write them 5-6 times

I see it the same my friend, as i said i want my Win also to look nice and as far as i remember Winstep was able to skin the most parts of W8 the only thing that wasn't shown was the Metro Interface.
I could live with it as it is but i would love to see it be able to get skinned ( Metro )  and i think that wont take long-
( i think metro has great potential for skinners if we look at it Metro interface is one window with your apps programs and news feeds on it as well as messenger access or email or whatever 1 window to overview them all...hehe ( now lets compare that to windows7 ) 

If i look at metro and compare the Metro interface with Windows7 for example Metro is basically the allprograms section of your startmenu
we are only able to replace the background with 1 color in skinstudio for that section ( background color )- no pun intended 
Metro however has a background - yeah also 1 color as base but has ripples or circles added in the background... And that is where i start seeing potential   
I think as soon as Metro or however its called now becomes skin-able - we will have a new area on the playground 
Please dont get me wrong im not trying to convert anyone to win8 im just a geek and a little skinner that is very exited about what is to come... call me optimistic  

on Aug 09, 2012

starkers
It's only generic here because it relates to anything from brothels and tattoo parlours to pubs and boutiques.  Moreover, Aussies aren't greedy about it, either.  It seems anyone here can stick a 'Metro' in their business name if it fits well enough, and nobody's going to sue over it.  Nah, it'd take more than that to get us up in arms...

Hey, we may be very litigious, but you Aussies aren't entirely innocent.

I did some quick Google research. Apparently, one of the more prominent recent trademark cases in Australia involved... 'Metro' (Registrar of Trade Marks v Woolworths Ltd [1999] FCA 1020). 

on Aug 10, 2012

zigzag
Hey, we may be very litigious, but you Aussies aren't entirely innocent.

Yeah, you're right!  I do recall a case of some lonely Aussie farmers who wanted to sue the Kiwis for hogging the limelight over sheep-shagging.  As I remember it, they settled out of court and did a bit of 'wife' swapping to mend the fences.

zigzag
I did some quick Google research. Apparently, one of the more prominent recent trademark cases in Australia involved... 'Metro' (Registrar of Trade Marks v Woolworths Ltd [1999] FCA 1020).

Now why does it not surprise me that Woolworths was involved!!!!   This is a retail giant that wants its finger to be the only finger in every retail pie, and so far it has spread its wings into alcohol; fuel; pharmaceuticals; prescription glasses; electricals; home improvement; clothing; shoes; toys, etc, etc, etc.  Okay, it hasn't gotten into selling cars; heavy machinery; sex aids or uranium as yet, but give it time.

The problem here is that Woolworths has only one competitor of any note, Coles, and between the two of them they pretty much do as they like to consumers. Both companies stink big-time and both are guilty of profiteering at the expense of those who can least afford it, and government does nothing about it.  I don'y usually get too serious on these forums, but unabated greed does get my dander [ire] up.

on Aug 10, 2012

starkers
Now why does it not surprise me that Woolworths was involved!!!!

"Yikes!!!! Woolworth's still exist, I thought they all went out of business, at least here in the U.S.???

on Aug 10, 2012

G_Bison

Quoting starkers, reply 42Now why does it not surprise me that Woolworths was involved!!!!

"Yikes!!!! Woolworth's still exist, I thought they all went out of business, at least here in the U.S.???

Yeah, the company here bought the name and is wholly Australian owned.... sadly. 

It is a very evil company... more evil than Microsoft... more evil than Apple.... almost as evil as Google.

It put market domination and profit above all else, meaning consumers are ripped off and treated like crap.

I worked for Woolworths in management for a while, but as more and more despicable acts came to light, the more I wanted to leave.... things like sending employees around to the smaller competitors nearby to discover their prices and drastically undercut them until they went broke. Once those competitors went out of business, Woolies prices would soar to levels well above what they were before the price wars. 

What broke the camel's back, though, was when the store manager told me to remove the cellophane packaging from meat trays and put the next day's date on them.... something I refused to do because I could have been jailed had I been caught by a state health inspector.  I was subsequently threatened with dismissal for not complying with store policy/disobeying a direct order, so I told him where to shove his job and promptly walked out.  So yeah, I know how evil Woolworths is firsthand... I saw the slimy practices they use to maximise profit and was/am totally disgusted.

on Aug 10, 2012

You should contact a health inspector about that.  If the practise is more widespread than just one store manager, people could get sick eating meat that should have been dumped days ago.  Though from the sound of things nobody would buy it anyway because of the extortionate prices.

on Aug 10, 2012

MarvinKosh
You should contact a health inspector about that.

I did, but the store manager denied it and accused me of "muck raking" because he supposedly fired me.  Nothing was done about that particular incident because of a lack of proof, but as the health inspector told me, it wasn't the first time that the authorities had be advised of the practice and that my complaint had prompted them to be more vigilant with regard to supermarket meat products.

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