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Elon Musk’s X moves to protect Twitter brand after rival trademark filing
X has updated its 'Terms of Service' to make clear that it still claims ownership of Twitter trademark
Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has updated its "Terms of Service" to make clear that it still claims ownership of the Twitter trademark, signaling a firm response to a challenge from a rival startup.
The update follows a recent trademark filing by Operation Bluebird, a Virginia-based startup that applied to register the “Twitter” name.
The startup has argued that X abandoned the Twitter brand after Musk rebranded the platform in 2023, pointing to his public statement that the company would soon “bid adieu” to the Twitter name.
However, X has pushed back strongly. In a countersuit filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the company noted that it continues to exclusively own the Twitter and Tweet trademarks, along with the iconic bluebird logo.
Notably, Operation Bluebird has also begun collecting sign-ups for a potential social network via a website called Twitter.new.
The effort is led by two lawyers, including founder Michael Peroff and Stephen Coates, a former trademark attorney at Twitter.
For those uninitiated, X’s revised Terms of Service, effective January 15, 2026, explicitly prohibit any unauthorised use of both the X and Twitter names, logos, and brand assets.
