Twitter’s Rebranding As X Could Face Legal Complications Over Existing Trademarks

Billionaire Elon Musk’s recent decision to rebrand Twitter as X has the potential to encounter legal challenges due to the existence of other companies already holding intellectual property rights to the same letter.

The move, announced on Monday, saw the social media giant Twitter adopt the new name X along with a stylized black-and-white version of the letter as its logo. However, this choice may lead to legal disputes as numerous companies, including Meta and Microsoft, have existing trademarks related to the letter X.

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Trademark attorney Josh Gerben highlighted the potential legal issues, stating that Twitter is highly likely to face lawsuits over the rebranding. He found nearly 900 active U.S. trademark registrations already covering the letter X across various industries.

Microsoft, since 2003, has owned an X trademark associated with communications for its Xbox video-game system. Meta Platforms, the company behind Threads, a new Twitter rival, possesses a federal trademark registered in 2019, covering a blue-and-white letter “X” for software and social media purposes.

While Meta and Microsoft may not immediately sue, they could take legal action if they perceive Twitter’s X branding as a threat to their established brand equity.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, faced similar intellectual property challenges during its name change. The company had trademark lawsuits filed against it by investment firm Metacapital and virtual-reality company MetaX, and resolved another dispute over its new infinity-symbol logo.

If Musk’s rebranding effort is successful, other entities could still claim ownership of the letter ‘X.’ Given the difficulty of protecting a single letter, Twitter’s protection is expected to be limited to graphics similar to its X logo, as the logo lacks distinctiveness, according to Douglas Masters, a trademark attorney at Loeb & Loeb law firm.

Neither Twitter, Meta, nor Microsoft responded to requests for comments on the potential legal ramifications of the rebranding. As the situation unfolds, legal experts anticipate the possibility of trademark disputes arising in connection with Twitter’s new identity.