Virginia Startup Seeks To Reclaim 'Twitter' Trademarks Abandoned By Musk's X Corp

A Virginia-based startup, Operation Bluebird, has filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to nullify the trademarks of Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk‘s X Corp.

Startup Seeks Rights to "Twitter" Brand

Operation Bluebird, in its petition filed on December 2, aims to secure the rights to use “Twitter” and “tweet” for its new platform, “twitter.new.” The startup has also applied for a trademark for “Twitter,” reported Reuters.

Operation Bluebird’s General Counsel, Stephen Coates, who was previously a trademark lawyer at Twitter, claims that X Corp has effectively removed the Twitter brand from its products, services, and marketing.

Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and rebranded it as X, announced in 2023 that the company would gradually phase out the Twitter brand.

X did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.

According to the report, Coates argues that the matter is “straightforward” as X Corp legally abandoned the Twitter trademark after ceasing its commercial use.

See Also: Jamie Dimon Says Blockchain Is ‘Real’ And Becoming More Effective And Efficient: JPMorgan Ready To Tap In To The Technology, Says CEO

Musk's X Valuation And Agrawal's AI Startup

Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has been a topic of interest, especially considering the platform’s fluctuating valuation. After a significant decline in value, a secondary deal pushed the platform’s worth back to $44 billion, as of March 2025.

X Corp also settled a high-profile lawsuit with former top Twitter executives, including ex-CEO Parag Agrawal, over $128 million in unpaid severance following the 2022 takeover.

Meanwhile, Agrawal has been making waves in the tech industry with his AI-powered search startup, Parallel, which secured $100 million in Series A funding.

Notably, the European Union fined Elon Musk's X $140 million on Friday for breaching transparency rules under the Digital Services Act, citing misleading paid blue checkmarks and insufficient public access to its advertising data.

READ NEXT:

• Elon Musk Denies SpaceX Is Raising Money At $800 Billion Valuation, Remains Silent On IPO

Image via Shutterstock

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.