Operation Bluebird, the Virginia-based startup trying to revive the allegedly abandoned “Twitter” name and logo, announced Monday that it has launched its new social media network: Twitter.now.
“We are a small company, we have investors, and we have a product,” Stephen Coates, one of Operation Bluebird’s cofounders, told Ars. “And we have waited months and months to launch, and we are not going to wait anymore.”
As Ars reported in December 2025, Coates and his coterie believe that when Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and quickly changed the company’s name to X, the Twitter identity and intellectual property were abandoned.
However, in an April 2026 hearing, US District Court Judge Colm Connolly gave a tentative ruling from the bench that X seemed to have given up intellectual property claims over the word “tweet” and the Twitter bird logo—and possibly even on the word “Twitter” as well. The judge has yet to issue a written order.
“It’s our opinion that X has abandoned its rights on the Twitter and tweet trademarks,” he said.
Thats pretty ballsy. I'm interested in seeing how it goes when X steps up to say nuh-uh. Also I thought trademarks could stay valid long after they stopped being used? I have very little...
Thats pretty ballsy. I'm interested in seeing how it goes when X steps up to say nuh-uh.
Also I thought trademarks could stay valid long after they stopped being used? I have very little understanding about that world though.
Based on my cursory research as somebody with only a vague knowledge of the legal system: The US operates as a "use it or lose it" system, and any trademarks are presumed abandoned after 3 years...
Based on my cursory research as somebody with only a vague knowledge of the legal system:
The US operates as a "use it or lose it" system, and any trademarks are presumed abandoned after 3 years of non-use. Trademark owners must present a good explanation of non-use to have it ruled as not abandoned (of which there are many; bankruptcy proceeding, financial difficulty, the need for product revisions).
The "new" twitter seems to think that X will have no credible explanation for non-use that doesn't imply an intent to abandon. And all they actually had to do was start using the name, and it will be up to X to prove that it wasn't abandoned.
I do think ultimately that X will win, simply due to blatant corruption of its owner and how imbedded he is with the current government.
I think these guys are just out to make a quick buck and just using this to get publicity. But if it’s a thorn in that stupid dipshit’s side, I’ll take it.
I think these guys are just out to make a quick buck and just using this to get publicity. But if it’s a thorn in that stupid dipshit’s side, I’ll take it.
If anyone else is like me and wondering how they got the rights to use "twitter" (or if they bought it), well,
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/new-twitter-launches-says-musks-x-gave-up-the-name/
Thats pretty ballsy. I'm interested in seeing how it goes when X steps up to say nuh-uh.
Also I thought trademarks could stay valid long after they stopped being used? I have very little understanding about that world though.
Based on my cursory research as somebody with only a vague knowledge of the legal system:
The US operates as a "use it or lose it" system, and any trademarks are presumed abandoned after 3 years of non-use. Trademark owners must present a good explanation of non-use to have it ruled as not abandoned (of which there are many; bankruptcy proceeding, financial difficulty, the need for product revisions).
The "new" twitter seems to think that X will have no credible explanation for non-use that doesn't imply an intent to abandon. And all they actually had to do was start using the name, and it will be up to X to prove that it wasn't abandoned.
I do think ultimately that X will win, simply due to blatant corruption of its owner and how imbedded he is with the current government.
No statement about any of the rest of it, but being able to say "We're Twitter Now." and having it be a proper sentence is very good.
I think these guys are just out to make a quick buck and just using this to get publicity. But if it’s a thorn in that stupid dipshit’s side, I’ll take it.
It's just completely vibe coded slop lmao. I don't care about using AI tools but damn, try a bit harder.