X Updates Terms of Service to Protect Twitter Trademarks

Elon Musk’s X Corporation has moved aggressively to protect its ownership of Twitter trademarks following a formal challenge from a Virginia-based startup called Operation Bluebird. The company updated its Terms of Service, effective January 15, 2026, explicitly clarifying that users cannot use the Twitter name or associated trademarks without express written consent.

The Trademark Challenge

Operation Bluebird filed a petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel X’s trademarks for “Twitter” and “tweet,” arguing the company has abandoned the brand. The startup’s ambitious goal was to relaunch Twitter as a replica platform, betting that nostalgia for the original brand would attract users back to a revived service. The group expected affinity with the Twitter bird logo and naming to generate significant user adoption.

X’s Legal Response

Beyond updating its Terms of Service, X has launched a countersuit asserting exclusive ownership of all Twitter and Tweet trademarks plus the iconic bluebird logo. Legal experts suggest the company’s resources and history of retaliatory actions make the trademark challenge unlikely to succeed. The Operation Bluebird website has already been taken offline, signaling potential retreat from the project.

For users nostalgic for Twitter’s original experience, alternatives like Bluesky and Threads offer similar functionality without the legal complications. With this latest move, X appears positioned to quash any future challenges to its Twitter trademark ownership decisively.