X Adjusts Its Legal Stand Amid Twitter Trademark Dispute

Rebranding Isn't Enough: X Struggles to Retain Twitter's Legacy Trademarks

Despite shedding the Twitter name in favor of X and adopting a branding devoid of bird references, X remains committed to holding onto its Twitter-related trademarks. Recent updates to its terms of service now include mentions of Twitter, seemingly as a reactive measure to challenge a startup's legal maneuver aimed at nullifying X's trademarks.

Operation Bluebird's Bold Move

The company contesting X is Operation Bluebird, founded by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter general counsel. Coates leads this ambitious startup, which has made its intentions public: to reclaim and repurpose the remnants of Twitter. They initiated this bold move by filing a petition with the US Patents and Trademark Office seeking to revoke X's control over the Twitter trademarks.

A New Vision for Twitter

Operation Bluebird argues that X Corp. has essentially phased out the Twitter and Tweet brands from its operations, clearly indicating an abandonment of these marks, with no plans to revive them. Their goal is to adopt and register these brands for upcoming ventures, potentially launching a new social media service at twitter.new.

Elon Musk's Transparent Strategy

Elon Musk had publicly shared his intent to phase out the Twitter brand and its bird logo following his acquisition of the company in 2022. In July 2022, Musk transparently declared the end of Twitter and its iconic avian symbol. Nonetheless, even after rebranding, the digital footprint remains as Twitter.com continues to redirect users to X.com.

Legal Clauses Reinforced

A recent discovery by TechCrunch shows that starting January 16, 2025, X's terms of service will explicitly prohibit any unauthorized use of the X or Twitter names, logos, and other brand elements. They emphasize through a counterpetition that the Twitter trademarks are solely owned by X.

Awaiting Responses and Future Developments

Engadget has reached out to Operation Bluebird for their standpoint on X's legal response. Updates will be provided upon reception. As of now, Operation Bluebird has successfully attracted over 145,200 users to secure a handle on its proposed social media platform. While X might perceive this momentum as a threat, it is perhaps this vocal campaign that alerted X to the looming trademark issues, prompting it to protect assets it deems valuable.