Elon Musk's X updates terms to assert claim on 'Twitter' trademark against THIS rival

In a surprising move indicating his inclination towards the original moniker of his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk has asserted its claim to the “Twitter” trademark by updating its Terms of Service.

X's counter lawsuit comes after a Virginia-based startup, Operation Bluebird, filed to claim the trademark on the term “Twitter.” The startup argues that X abandoned the brand by rebranding its social networking service as “X.”

Operation Bluebird, in its application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, cited a July 2023 post from Musk that indicated the platform would soon “bid adieu to the Twitter brand.”

In response, X is moving forward with a countersuit to assert its exclusive ownership of the Twitter and Tweet trademarks, not to mention the bluebird logo.

Regarding the filing, shared with it by IP trademark law firm Gerben IP, TechCrunch outlined that it is not yet available in the PACER database.

Operation Bluebird, led by lawyers including founder Michael Peroff and former Twitter trademark lawyer Stephen Coates, has begun collecting potential user sign-ups for its planned social network on Twitter. However, their true intention may be to acquire the valuable trademark rather than launch a competing service.

To strengthen its ground, X’s revised Terms of Service, effective January 15, 2026, explicitly state that users have no rights to use the X or Twitter names, trademarks, or logos without expressing written consent.

X's new terms come to serve as a big shift, considering that previous terms only referenced X.