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Startup launches Twitter.now, claiming Musk abandoned original brand

Operation Bluebird released its new platform despite an unresolved trademark dispute with X Corp.

The short version

  • Virginia startup Operation Bluebird launched Twitter.now, a new social media service based on the original platform's name.
  • The startup argues Elon Musk legally abandoned the Twitter name and intellectual property when he rebranded the company to X.
  • The launch comes ahead of a judge's ruling on X Corp.'s request for a preliminary injunction.

Key facts

  • Operation Bluebird launched a social media network named Twitter.now.[Ars Technica]
  • Operation Bluebird cofounder Stephen Coates contends that Elon Musk abandoned the Twitter identity after renaming the service to X in 2022.[Ars Technica]
  • The platform was made public prior to a judicial decision on a preliminary injunction filed by X Corp.[Ars Technica]

What remains uncertain

  • A judge has not yet ruled on X Corp.'s preliminary injunction regarding trademark rights to the Twitter name and intellectual property.[Ars Technica]

Sources