X wins Twitter name fight, but rival can use 'Tweet'
What's the story
A US court has issued a split ruling, with Operation Bluebird prevailing on the term "tweet" for its services. The ruling comes as part of a larger legal battle between Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) and Operation Bluebird over trademark rights. The court ruled in favor of X on the core "Twitter" trademark but found that X had likely abandoned two related trademarks: "tweet" and the Twitter bird logo.
Strategic shift
Operation Bluebird's rebranding to Tweet.app
Virginia-based Operation Bluebird, which was initially launched as Twitter.now, has rebranded its website to Tweet.app. The change comes after the court's decision to allow it to use the term "tweet."
The company's homepage clearly states its intention of reclaiming what Musk had abandoned when he renamed Twitter as X.
This strategy is led by two lawyers, founder Michael Peroff from Illinois and Stephen Coates, a former trademark lawyer at Twitter.
User response
Positive response from users
Despite its controversial beginnings, Operation Bluebird has seen a positive response from users. The company revealed that over 172,000 people have requested a handle on its site before launch.
This interest is likely due to the public's continued attachment to the "Twitter" brand name, something X can no longer use.
To further monetize this interest and cover legal costs, the start-up charges users $20 to reserve their handle and join its social network.
Legal proceedings
Court's decision is not final
The court's decision is not final.
US District Court Judge Colm F. Connolly issued a split ruling on X's request for a preliminary injunction that sought to stop Operation Bluebird from using a series of Twitter trademarks that the start-up says X had abandoned since its rebrand.
The judge granted X's motion for a preliminary injunction regarding eight Twitter-related marks but denied it when it came to the Tweet mark and the Twitter bird logo.
Trademark debate
Coates on why 'tweet' belongs to the public
Coates, president of Operation Bluebird, said in an email announcement about the rebrand that "They kept the word. They let go of the bird, and they let go of the tweet."
He added, "A tweet was never a corporation. It's one person saying something. That word survived three years of a company trying to replace it because the public declined to stop using it. We think that tells you who it belongs to."