Overview
- Operation Bluebird has petitioned the USPTO to cancel X Corp.’s TWITTER and TWEET registrations, arguing the marks were abandoned after the 2023 rebrand to X.
- The Virginia startup has opened twitter.new for handle reservations and says a prototype is in place for a planned launch next year.
- The petition cites Musk’s public farewell to the Twitter brand, the removal of bird logos, and the migration from twitter.com to x.com as evidence of nonuse.
- X renewed a Twitter registration in 2023, a step the petitioners acknowledge but argue does not preclude an abandonment finding.
- X has until early February 2026 to respond, and lawyers note that even if registrations are canceled, X could pursue infringement claims based on residual goodwill that may take years to resolve.