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Microsoft’s Windows 8 is due soon and the company has used the term ‘metro’ extensively in describing the new interface of its OS. However, it seems that the company may soon be quitting the ‘metro’ branding of Windows 8. It has now advised the apps developers not to make use of the term ‘metro’ when naming their Windows 8 or Windows Phone apps.

Microsoft is now suggesting that if the developers wish to make a reference to the metro interface of Windows Phone 8 when naming their apps, they should rather use the term ‘New User Interface.’ According to multiple reports, this move has been made by the company due to a copyright dispute between Microsoft and a German company over the use of the term ‘metro.’

As a result of this dispute, Microsoft is discouraging the developers from using the term. If indeed the reports of the copyright dispute are true, using the term ‘metro’ in naming an app may even land a developer in legal hot waters. The German company in question, Metro AG, refused to comment on this issue.

Microsoft officials, on the other hand, made the following statement, “We have used Metro style as a code name during the product development cycle across many of our product lines. As we get closer to launch and transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog we will use our commercial names.” However, when the same officials were asked about the copyright dispute, they refused to comment.

Given the problems plaguing the use of ‘metro’, we can expect that Microsoft will eventually drop the term when branding Windows 8 interface.

Courtesy: The Verge

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