Former Twitter lawyer begins work to revoke Twitter trademark, part of Operation Bluebird to create a new Twitter
Twitter's original intellectual property counsel, Stephen Coates, has filed a petition with the Patent and Trademark Office to revoke the trademarks, claiming that X has abandoned its use of 'Twitter' and 'Tweet.'
Former Twitter Attorney Files for 'Twitter' Trademark, Challenges X Corp.'s Ownership - Gerben IP
US startup seeks to reclaim Twitter trademarks 'abandoned' by Musk's X | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-startup-seeks-reclaim-twitter-trademarks-abandoned-by-musks-x-2025-12-08/
Coates served as Twitter's intellectual property lawyer before Elon Musk acquired the company and renamed it X.
Stephen Jadie Coates - COATES IP
https://www.coatesip.com/stephen-jadie-coates.html
According to the lawsuit, Coats planned to acquire the domain 'twitter.new' and launch a new social networking site called 'Twitter,' and founded a company called 'Operation Bluebird' in Virginia.
Twitter.new: The New Twitter Social Media Platform
https://www.twitter.new/
Coates is on a mission to rebuild the 'public square' that Twitter once served, promising to bring it back from 'broken state' 'this time with trust.'
However, X had registered the words 'Twitter' and 'Tweet' as trademarks, and Operation Bluebird's trademark application would likely be rejected. Therefore, Operation Bluebird filed a request with the Patent and Trademark Office to revoke X's 'Twitter' and 'Tweet' trademarks.
Operation Bluebird alleges that X has abandoned its trademarks because it has stopped using 'Twitter' and 'Tweet' in connection with its rebranding, has indicated that it will not resume using twitter.com after completing the final merger of twitter.com and x.com, and has removed 'Twitter' and 'Tweet' from its platform, as well as from its marketing and PR.
According to Josh Gerben, an attorney at GERBEN IP, a law firm that provides information on trademarks, U.S. law allows a trademark to be revoked if it is not being used for commercial purposes or if the owner has no intention of resuming use. Since X changed both its company name and service name from 'Twitter' to 'X' and has completely abandoned the blue bird design it used during its Twitter days, Operation Bluebird's complaint has a good chance of being successful.
However, even if a brand name is no longer in use, if its image or reputation remains in people's minds, it is considered to have 'residual goodwill.' Even if the trademark is revoked, X could sue for trademark infringement if Operation Bluebird begins using 'Twitter' or 'Tweet,' Garben points out.
Operation Bluebird has already filed a petition to have the matter rescinded, meaning X will have until early February 2025 to respond to the petition. Gerben said the case will be a test of whether X and Elon Musk will invest money in protecting a brand they no longer intend to use.
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