Virginia-based startup Operation Bluebird has launched a new social media platform called Twitter.now, reviving the Twitter name and blue-bird branding as it remains locked in a legal dispute with Elon Musk’s X Corp. over ownership of the trademarks.
The company launched the platform this week after months of waiting for a federal court ruling on X Corp.’s request to block the service.
“We are a small company, we have investors, and we have a product,”
“And we have waited months and months to launch, and we are not going to wait anymore,” Stephen Coates, co-founder and general counsel of Operation Bluebird, told Ars Technica.
Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 and later changed the company’s name to X, replacing much of the Twitter branding, including its blue-bird logo and terms such as “tweet” and “retweet.”
Operation Bluebird argues that the changes amounted to abandonment of Twitter-related intellectual property and has sought to claim the trademarks for itself.
The startup filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in December 2025 seeking cancellation of X Corp.’s Twitter-related trademark registrations. It also applied to register the TWITTER mark for social networking and related software services.
X Corp. responded by suing Operation Bluebird in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in December 2025 and sought to prevent the startup from launching a Twitter-branded social network.
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The case, X Corp. v. Operation Bluebird Inc., is being heard by U.S. District Judge Colm Connolly.
At an April 2026 hearing, Connolly reportedly indicated that X may have abandoned intellectual-property claims relating to the word “tweet” and the Twitter bird logo, while also raising questions about the Twitter name itself.
However, the judge has not issued a written order declaring the trademarks abandoned.
Operation Bluebird nevertheless interpreted the judge’s comments as sufficient grounds to proceed with the launch.
“It’s our opinion that X has abandoned its rights on the Twitter and tweet trademarks,” Coates said.
X has maintained that it did not abandon its trademark rights and has challenged Operation Bluebird’s attempt to use the Twitter identity.
The launch therefore escalates the dispute, putting the startup’s use of the contested branding into commercial operation while the underlying legal questions remain unresolved.
Operation Bluebird says Twitter.now is independent of X Corp. and is designed to recreate some of the features associated with the original Twitter while introducing new tools.
The platform includes replies and reposts and features an automated fact-checking system called Vera, which the company describes as a real-time “veracity engine” designed to analyse posts and provide users with additional context.
Coates said the startup wants to build a social network that supports free expression while reducing the spread of harmful or inaccurate information.
“Our first goal is to see if we can truly bring back a town square that’s safer and less harmful,” he said.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who has followed the dispute, said Operation Bluebird could have a viable argument that X abandoned the Twitter trademark but cautioned that the issue remains unsettled.
“It was one thing to file the trademark application; now that they’ve launched, there will be another response from [X Corporation],” Gerben said, describing the launch as “a really interesting escalation of the case.”
Coates has a direct history with the brand at the centre of the dispute. He previously worked at Twitter as a trademark lawyer and later handled trademark, domain and marketing matters for the company.
For Operation Bluebird, the launch marks a significant step in its attempt to restore the Twitter identity.
But until Connolly issues a ruling, the startup’s claim to the disputed trademarks remains contested, leaving Twitter.now operating under the shadow of an unresolved legal battle with X.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
