A Virginia-based startup called Operation Bluebird has announced an ambitious plan to reclaim Twitter’s legacy. The group filed a formal petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel X Corporation’s trademarks for “Twitter” and “tweet,” arguing that X has abandoned these brands and no longer actively uses them.
Legal Strategy Behind the Challenge
Operation Bluebird’s founding team includes trademark attorneys who previously worked for Twitter, giving them insider knowledge of the company’s intellectual property. Their legal argument rests on a simple premise: if X is no longer using these trademarks in its business operations, the company forfeits its right to hold them. Under trademark law, abandonment occurs when a company stops using a mark and demonstrates no intent to resume its use. This legal loophole provides Operation Bluebird’s pathway to potentially acquire control of the Twitter intellectual property.
Plans for a Twitter Alternative
If successful, Operation Bluebird plans to launch a new social media platform at www.twitter.new, designed to restore Twitter to its former glory before Elon Musk’s acquisition. The group has already begun accepting handle reservations from interested users, building early momentum for the project.
However, significant obstacles remain. Elon Musk has demonstrated a strong tendency to defend his business interests aggressively, previously pursuing legal action against Meta’s Threads and other Twitter competitors. Most observers expect X to mount an aggressive legal defense to retain the valuable Twitter trademarks, potentially resulting in a lengthy legal battle that could undermine the startup’s timeline and resources.
While the likelihood of success appears low, Operation Bluebird represents a notable challenge to X’s ownership of one of social media’s most recognizable brands.