Judge blocks X rival from using 'Twitter' but allows 'Tweet'
Original: Judge blocks X rival from using Twitter name, but allows ‘Tweet’ for now
Why This Matters
The case sets a significant precedent for trademark abandonment in major corporate rebrands like X's transition from X.
A Delaware federal court ruled against startup Operation Bluebird's use of the 'X' name in its X.now platform, siding with X Corp. However, the court found X likely abandoned the 'Tweet' trademark and X bird logo, allowing Bluebird to rebrand as Tweet.app and open to the public.
U.S. District Court Judge Colm F. Connolly issued a split preliminary injunction ruling in a trademark dispute between X Corp. and Virginia-based startup Operation Bluebird. The judge granted X's injunction on eight X-related marks, blocking Operation Bluebird from operating under 'X.now.' However, the judge denied the injunction for the 'Tweet' mark and the X bird logo, writing that Bluebird was 'likely to succeed in proving both that X Corp. discontinued the bona fide use of the Tweet mark and Bird logo and that it intends not to resume the use of the marks.' Operation Bluebird has since rebranded its site as Tweet.app and launched to the public. The startup was founded by lawyer Michael Peroff and Stephen Coates, a former X trademark attorney. More than 172,000 users requested handles before launch, and the company charges $20 to reserve a handle. The ruling is not final; the case will proceed to determine whether X retains rights to any remaining X-era trademarks following its rebrand.