Judge Blocks Twitter Name Use by X Rival but Allows Tweet Trademark Claim to Continue

A federal court in Delaware has issued a split ruling in a trademark dispute between Elon Musk’s X and a startup seeking to revive parts of the former Twitter brand. The court blocked the startup from using the Twitter name but allowed it to continue using the “Tweet” name while the legal case moves forward.

The startup Operation Bluebird was initially launched under the name Twitter.now before the court sided with X over the core Twitter trademark, the company had since rebranded its platform as Tweet.app, using the trademark rights that the court determined X had likely abandoned.

The trademark dispute centres on whether X abandoned certain Twitter-related marks after its 2023 rebrand from Twitter to X.

Court Allows Tweet Name and Bird Logo Claims to Continue

U.S. District Court Judge Colm F. Connolly granted X’s request for a preliminary injunction involving eight Twitter-related trademarks but denied the request regarding the “Tweet” mark and the Twitter bird logo.

In the ruling, the judge said Operation Bluebird was likely to succeed in proving that X had stopped genuine use of the Tweet mark and bird logo and did not intend to resume using them.

The decision is not final. The broader case will determine whether X still retains rights to the disputed trademarks after the company moved away from the Twitter identity.

Startup Focuses on Former Twitter Branding

Operation Bluebird was founded by lawyers Michael Peroff and Stephen Coates, who argue that some of the abandoned Twitter trademarks should remain available for public use.

Michael Peroff and Stephen Coates are leading the effort behind the startup, which is attempting to build a social platform around the available branding elements.

The company said more than 172,000 people requested usernames before its public launch, although the court’s ruling prevents it from using the Twitter name itself.

Tweet.app Opens Early Access

Tweet.app has opened to users in early testing and charges $20 to reserve a handle and join the platform. The company said the fee helps support its legal costs as the trademark dispute continues.

The case highlights the legal challenges that can follow major technology rebrands, particularly when companies move away from widely recognised names, logos, and terms associated with previous products.