A company called "Operation Bluebird," based in Virginia, USA, has filed a formal petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) requesting approval to reclaim the abandoned "Twitter" trademark, as it describes it.
This comes after Musk renamed the platform to "X" in July 2023, nine months after acquiring it in a $44 billion deal.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/operation-bluebird_every-platform-struggles-with-the-same-problemhow-activity-7401788846478217216-keZB?utm_source=li_share&utm_content=feedcontent&utm_medium=g_dt_web&utm_campaign=copy
Although the company still owns the Twitter.com domain (which automatically redirects to X.com), it has removed all logos, visual and symbolic references of the old brand online, including changing bird-related terminology. For example, the fact-checking program "Birdwatch" is now known as "Community Notes."
Operation Bluebird is taking practical steps towards launching the new platform, having already purchased the domain twitter.new to enable interested users to pre-reserve their desired username (a person's digital identity on any platform) before someone else does.
The company is run by legal experts in the field of trademarks, most notably Stephen Coates, who previously served as assistant director of trademarks, domain names and marketing at Twitter between 2014 and 2016.
Its legal strategy rests on a fundamental argument that “X” has effectively abandoned the historic “Twitter” brand and the associated “Tweet” brand by completely removing them from all its products and marketing, which constitutes a legal abandonment of the brand with no intention of returning to use it.
The petition submitted to the office stated: "The Twitter and Tweet trademarks have been completely removed from the products, services, and marketing of Inc. X, effectively abandoning the historic bird brand, with no intention of resuming its use."
The petition added: "X has legally relinquished its rights to the Twitter trademark and continues to defraud the office by submitting false statements and affidavits," and demanded the cancellation of all disputed trademarks.
The petition also cited a previous tweet by Musk days before the rebranding, in which he wrote on July 23, 2023: "Soon we will say goodbye to the Twitter brand, and gradually all birds."
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/operation-bluebird_every-platform-struggles-with-the-same-problemhow-activity-7401788846478217216-keZB?utm_source=li_share&utm_content=feedcontent&utm_medium=g_dt_web&utm_campaign=copy
It is worth noting that Musk and his company "X" have until February to formally respond to the petition.
