Elon Musk’s X has revised its Terms of Service to make clear that it still owns the Twitter trademark, after a startup attempted to claim the name in a legal challenge. The move follows a filing by Virginia-based Operation Bluebird, which argued that X abandoned the Twitter brand when it rebranded the platform in 2023.
X has responded by filing a countersuit and updating its terms to reaffirm ownership of the Twitter and Tweet trademarks, along with the blue bird logo. The dispute centers on claims that Musk relinquished the brand, including a July 2023 post saying the platform would soon “bid adieu” to the Twitter name.
Operation Bluebird has also begun promoting a proposed social network under the domain Twitter.new, led by two lawyers, including a former Twitter trademark attorney. X’s updated terms, effective January 15, 2026, now explicitly reference both X and Twitter trademarks and state that users have no right to use the names, logos, or related brand assets without written permission.