[Given their size, It is simply impossible that someone at Microsoft didn’t know about this][link]. The only question is how deep into the process were they, and how many people were afraid to speak or were told to sit down and shut up.
[link]: http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/06/kayak-bing/ “Kayak to Bing: Stop Copying Us! – Update | Epicenter | Wired.com”