X Corp. Takes Legal Action Against Virginia Social Media Startup for Attempting to Claim ‘Twitter’ Trademark
Elon Musk’s X Corp. has initiated legal action against a startup that aims to cancel X’s Twitter trademarks, with the intention of reviving Twitter as a new social media platform.
X asserted in its lawsuit filed in Delaware federal court that its Twitter brand remains “alive and well” and is “not ripe for the picking.” The company claims that Operation Bluebird’s efforts to “steal” the name amount to trademark infringement.
In response to the lawsuit, Bluebird founder Michael Peroff stated, “Our cancellation petition is based on well-established trademark law and we believe we will be successful. We are prepared to take this as far as we need to in order to achieve our goal.”
As of now, spokespeople and attorneys for X have not provided comments regarding the complaint.
Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and subsequently rebranded the platform to X. In a 2023 social media post, he indicated that the company would “bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.”
Operation Bluebird, based in Virginia, submitted a request to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 2 to cancel X’s federal “Twitter” trademarks, claiming that the company had abandoned them. Bluebird expressed its desire to utilize Twitter-related trademarks for a competing platform named “twitter.new,” and has separately applied to register its own “Twitter” mark.
The petition was filed by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademark lawyer who now serves as Bluebird’s general counsel.
X contended in the Delaware court that it has not abandoned its Twitter trademark rights, asserting that the brand “continues to persist in many ways.” The company highlighted that millions of users still access the platform through twitter.com, and that users and businesses continue to refer to it as Twitter. Furthermore, X maintains and enforces its Twitter trademarks.
“Twitter is one of the world’s most recognized brands, and it belongs to X Corp,” the lawsuit stated. “Simply put, a rebrand is not an abandonment of trademark rights.”
X also argued that Bluebird’s Twitter platform would lead to consumer confusion and is seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by David Bario and Lisa Shumaker)
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Elon Musk’s X Corp. has initiated legal action against a startup that aims to cancel X’s Twitter trademarks, with the intention of reviving Twitter as a new social media platform.
X asserted in its lawsuit filed in Delaware federal court that its Twitter brand remains “alive and well” and is “not ripe for the picking.” The company claims that Operation Bluebird’s efforts to “steal” the name amount to trademark infringement.
In response to the lawsuit, Bluebird founder Michael Peroff stated, “Our cancellation petition is based on well-established trademark law and we believe we will be successful. We are prepared to take this as far as we need to in order to achieve our goal.”
As of now, spokespeople and attorneys for X have not provided comments regarding the complaint.
Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and subsequently rebranded the platform to X. In a 2023 social media post, he indicated that the company would “bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.”
Operation Bluebird, based in Virginia, submitted a request to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 2 to cancel X’s federal “Twitter” trademarks, claiming that the company had abandoned them. Bluebird expressed its desire to utilize Twitter-related trademarks for a competing platform named “twitter.new,” and has separately applied to register its own “Twitter” mark.
The petition was filed by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademark lawyer who now serves as Bluebird’s general counsel.
X contended in the Delaware court that it has not abandoned its Twitter trademark rights, asserting that the brand “continues to persist in many ways.” The company highlighted that millions of users still access the platform through twitter.com, and that users and businesses continue to refer to it as Twitter. Furthermore, X maintains and enforces its Twitter trademarks.
“Twitter is one of the world’s most recognized brands, and it belongs to X Corp,” the lawsuit stated. “Simply put, a rebrand is not an abandonment of trademark rights.”
X also argued that Bluebird’s Twitter platform would lead to consumer confusion and is seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by David Bario and Lisa Shumaker)
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