Elon Musk’s company, X, has recently updated its Terms of Service to explicitly reaffirm its rights over the registered trademark “Twitter.” This strategic move comes in response to a startup that has attempted to register the same name, claiming it was abandoned by the social network after its rebranding to “X.”
The Virginia-based company, Operation Bluebird, filed a registration application based on the premise that X had left the “Twitter” brand behind. To support its claim, it cited public statements from Musk in July 2023 announcing the retirement of the original brand. As part of its strategy, this startup has been gathering registrations from users interested in an alternative platform through the website Twitter.new.
In response to this challenge, X has taken an offensive stance on two fronts. On one hand, it has filed a legal countersuit asserting its exclusive and uninterrupted ownership of the “Twitter” and “Tweet” trademarks, as well as its iconic blue bird logo. On the other hand, it has revised its Terms of Service (effective January 15, 2026) to include an explicit clause prohibiting unauthorized use of both the name “X” and “Twitter,” along with all associated branding elements. Previously, this section only referenced “X.”
Experts point out that although Operation Bluebird is led by lawyers with intellectual property expertise—including a former trademark specialist from Twitter—their true goal may not be to launch a competing social network. It is more likely that the strategy aims to negotiate the acquisition of a trademark that still holds significant residual value, capitalizing on a perceived legal gap.
The updated terms also incorporate minor adjustments related to European Union regulations, user-generated content, and references to age-verification technologies in its Privacy Policy. Through these actions, X clearly demarcates its legal territory and sends a strong message about defending its brand assets, regardless of the platform’s name change.
By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTechNews