While Microsoft's handsets division said it had the rights to use the Nokia brand for up to 10 years and would do so for a few years, the Windows maker has changed course big time and is now plugging its own name in front of the recently-acquired Lumia handset portfolio.

The Microsoft Lumia branding will start in France, where news of the change was posted to Facebook.

"In the coming days, you will receive a Facebook message regarding the change of name of this page. We are on the verge of becoming 'Microsoft Lumia!' Stay-tuned for more soon," states the rough translation of a message posted on Nokia France's Facebook page.

Back in April, a Twitter user lamented about the possibility of the handset maker's brand coming to an end given the acquisition by Microsoft. Nokia's official Twitter account responded, indicating its products would still carry the brand name for a significant amount of time.

"We'll continue with Nokia-branded products, as Microsoft has licensed the Nokia brand for some time #MoreColorful," stated Microsoft's Nokia division on Twitter.

But that proved short lived as in September Jo Harlow, corporate vice president for phones at Microsoft, said thecompany would transition away from the Nokia brand as soon as it could.

Microsoft purchased Nokia for $7.2 billion in April, acquiring the company's primary business and leaving behind mere remnants of the handset maker. The acquisition of Nokia saw approximately 30,000 employees migrating to Microsoft during the takeover, though the Windows maker began aggressive rounds of layoffs shortly after to slim back down.

In a summer memo, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella updated the company's manifesto and began focusing on its "cloud first, mobile first" philosophy. The memo was filled with ominous language, which was realized when the layoffs began.

"Finally, every team across Microsoft must find ways to simplify and move faster, more efficiently," Nadella said. "We will increase the fluidity of information and ideas by taking actions to flatten the organization and develop leaner business processes."

Meanwhile, the Nokia shell left behind after the Microsoft takeover has been developing mapping and navigation software. The Nokia Here app serves up full maps for consumers to use offline, but there's a chance Samsung could work out an exclusive deal to use the software on its Galaxy line and keep it off rival devices.