Will Twitter Make a Comeback? Startup Challenges Elon Musk’s X Corp Over Trademarks

A U.S.-based startup has filed a petition claiming that X Corp, Elon Musk’s company, should relinquish the Twitter and Tweet trademarks. The startup intends to use the iconic name for its new social media platform, raising questions about the fate of the legendary Twitter brand.

The Startup’s Claim
According to a report by Reuters, the startup Operation Bluebird has asked the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to cancel X Corp’s trademarks on Twitter and Tweet. In their petition filed on December 2, Operation Bluebird argued that X Corp has effectively abandoned the Twitter brand. The startup’s legal counsel, Stephen Coates, who previously worked as Twitter’s trademark lawyer, stated:
“X has legally abandoned the Twitter mark.”

Operation Bluebird contends that since X Corp is not commercially using these trademarks, they should be permitted to use them for their new platform called “twitter.new.”

Why Did Elon Musk Move Away from Twitter?
In 2022, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion (around ₹3.6 lakh crore) and subsequently rebranded it as X. In 2023, Musk indicated via a post on X that the company would gradually phase out the Twitter brand and its iconic blue bird. Today, the Twitter bird is gone, and twitter.com now redirects to x.com. Despite this, X Corp renewed the Twitter trademark in 2023, which was officially approved last year.

Will Twitter Return?
Intellectual property expert Josh Gordon told Reuters that if X Corp does not actively use the Twitter trademark, it may be difficult for the company to retain ownership. However, even if the trademark is lost, X Corp could still legally prevent Operation Bluebird from using the name commercially.

Expert Opinions
Experts describe this as a fascinating case and are curious whether X Corp will invest in a brand it no longer intends to use. They also note that merely reviving a famous brand name does not guarantee popularity—there have been instances where attempts to reuse iconic brands did not achieve the desired success.

As of now, X Corp has not publicly responded to the petition. The coming months will reveal whether Twitter could once again make its presence felt, or whether the iconic name will be used by a new player in the social media space.