Elon Musk’s X Corp has filed a lawsuit against a social media startup that sought to cancel the company’s Twitter trademarks. The startup, Operation Bluebird, aimed to recreate the earlier version of Twitter as a new platform called 'twitter.new'. X Corp alleges that the startup's efforts constitute trademark infringement.
In the lawsuit, filed in Delaware federal court on Tuesday, X Corp argued that its Twitter brand remains 'alive and well' and is 'not ripe for the picking'. The company stated that millions of users still access the platform via twitter.com, and that the brand continues to be widely used by the public and businesses.
Operation Bluebird had filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 2 to cancel X Corp's federal Twitter trademarks, claiming the company had abandoned them. The startup also applied to register its own 'Twitter' mark. Bluebird’s founder, Michael Peroff, expressed confidence in their legal position, stating that their petition is based on well-established trademark law.
X Corp countered that a rebrand does not constitute abandonment of trademark rights. The company is seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages, arguing that Bluebird’s platform would cause consumer confusion. The lawsuit was filed by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademark lawyer who now serves as Bluebird’s general counsel.
