Twitter is back, and it's taking on Musk's X
What's the story
Operation Bluebird, a Virginia-based start-up, has launched its new social media platform: Twitter.now. The company's co-founder Stephen Coates said they are a small company with investors and a product ready for launch. This comes after months of waiting and legal battles over the "Twitter" name and logo following Elon Musk's rebrand of Twitter to X in 2022.
Trademark dispute
Coates and team believe Musk's rebranding left original identity open
Coates and his team believe that Musk's rebranding of Twitter to X left the original identity and intellectual property of Twitter up for grabs.
This, they say, is how Operation Bluebird got a chance to claim Twitter's trademarks.
However, Musk's X Corporation sued Operation Bluebird late last year, seeking a preliminary injunction against the launch of a new version of Twitter.
Court ruling
Judge hinted X may have abandoned Twitter bird logo
In an April 2026 hearing, US District Court Judge Colm Connolly hinted that X may have abandoned its intellectual property claims over the word "tweet" and the Twitter bird logo.
The judge has yet to issue a written order on this matter.
Coates, who is now Twitter's general counsel after serving in the same position before Musk's takeover, believes this was a green light for their launch.
Brand separation
Twitter.now looks and feels much like old Twitter
Twitter.now, still in its early days with just hundreds of users, looks and feels much like the old Twitter.
It has replies and retweets but also a new feature: an automated fact-checking tool called "Vera."
The platform clearly states on its website that it is not affiliated with Musk's X Corp., emphasizing the difference between the two brands.
Expert opinion
Trademark attorney on new development in case
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who has been following the case closely, said while Operation Bluebird may have a "workable legal theory" that X Corporation has abandoned the Twitter trademark, it's not a done deal.
He expects another response from X Corp now that they have launched their platform.
Gerben described this as an interesting escalation of the case and advised preparing for further developments.