Elon Musk’s X Corp filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against a Virginia-based startup that has sought to cancel its Twitter trademarks in order to launch a rival platform called “twitter.new.” The case, brought in a Delaware federal court, accuses Operation Bluebird of trademark infringement and attempting to unlawfully claim rights to one of the world’s most recognisable brands.
X Defends Ownership of Twitter Brand
In its complaint, X said that its Twitter brand remains “alive and well” and that Bluebird’s effort to cancel the trademarks was an attempt to “steal” the name. “Twitter is one of the world’s most recognised brands, and it belongs to X Corp,” the filing stated. “Simply put, a rebrand is not an abandonment of trademark rights.”
The company argued that millions of users still access its platform through twitter.com, that both individuals and businesses continue to refer to it as Twitter, and that X actively maintains and enforces its existing trademarks.
Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion before rebranding it to X, had said in 2023 that the platform would “bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.”
Bluebird Seeks to Reclaim the “Twitter” Name
Operation Bluebird filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on 2 December, claiming X had abandoned the Twitter name and asking regulators to cancel its trademarks. The startup said it intends to use the brand to “bring Twitter back” via a new social media network.
The petition was filed by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademark attorney who now serves as Bluebird’s general counsel. Bluebird also applied separately to register its own “Twitter” trademark.
“Our cancellation petition is based on well-established trademark law and we believe we will be successful,” Bluebird founder Michael Peroff said in a statement. “We are prepared to take this as far as we need to in order to achieve our goal.”
X Accuses Bluebird of Creating Confusion
X Corp said Bluebird’s attempt to resurrect Twitter would cause consumer confusion and infringe on its intellectual property rights. The company is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction preventing Bluebird from using the Twitter name.
Spokespeople for X have not commented publicly on the lawsuit, while Bluebird maintains that Musk’s 2023 rebranding demonstrates abandonment under U.S. trademark law. The case is expected to test how far a company can go in rebranding a globally recognised mark without forfeiting its legal protection.
(with inputs from Reuters)
