This was done during the nouveau driver QA test days, with the live CD.

Linux Kernel is started with kernel option "nouveau.modeset=1" with multi-head (internal laptop display and external flatscreen).

In this case, "gnome-display-properties" does NOT detect the monitor names.
It does correctly detects the screen resolutions, but the names stay for all displays "*Unknown*".

xrand on the command line reports:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1600 x 1200, maximum 1680 x 1680
LVDS1 connected 1280x960+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 330mm x 210mm
   1680x1050      60.1 +   50.1
   1280x1024      60.0
   1280x960       60.0*
   1024x768       60.0
   800x600        60.3     56.2
   640x480        59.9
VGA1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DVI1 connected 1600x1200+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 430mm x 320mm
   1600x1200      60.0*+   60.0
   1400x1050      60.0
   1280x1024      75.0     60.0
   1280x960       60.0
   1152x864       75.0
   1024x768       75.1     75.0     70.1     60.0
   832x624        74.6
   800x600        72.2     75.0     60.3     56.2
   640x480        72.8     75.0     72.8     75.0     66.7     60.0     59.9
   720x400        70.1

Expected result:
gnome-display-properties should have named the monitors "IBM15" and "SAMSUNG", as gnome-display-properties does when kernel is booted without the "nouveau.modeset=1" kernel option (see also bug #492553)