Under a New Owner’s Umbrella: Twitter Re-launch Amid Anticipation of a Court Ruling - Sarmad
Startup Operation Bluebird has launched a new social network named “Twitter,” accessible via the domain Twitter.now, based on the legal argument that Elon Musk’s company “X” has abandoned the name and associated trademarks of the former platform.
The launch comes despite the fact that the U.S. judiciary has not yet issued a final written ruling on “X”’s request for a temporary injunction to halt the project, amid an ongoing legal dispute between the two parties over the ownership of the names “Twitter” and “Tweet,” as well as the iconic blue bird logo.
Stephen Coates, one of the founders of Operation Bluebird, stated that the company waited several months before launching its product but is no longer willing to delay its plans. “We are a small company, we have investors and a product, and we won’t wait any longer,” he said, according to his post on LinkedIn.
Coates currently serves as General Counsel for the new Twitter platform, having previously held the same position at the original company prior to Musk’s acquisition.
Operation Bluebird contends that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in 2022, followed by the renaming of the company and platform to “X,” constituted an abandonment of the old identity and associated intellectual property rights, thereby allowing another company to claim registration of the “Twitter” trademark, the blue bird logo, and the word “Tweet.”
However, in late 2025, “X” swiftly filed a lawsuit against Operation Bluebird in a U.S. federal court in Delaware, seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the launch of a new version of Twitter.
During a hearing in April 2026, U.S. Magistrate Judge Colm Conolly indicated in an oral preliminary opinion that “X” appears to have abandoned its intellectual property rights regarding the word “Tweet” and the bird logo, and possibly even the name “Twitter” itself.
The judge has not yet issued a written decision resolving the issue, but Coates viewed the remarks as a green light to proceed with the platform’s launch.
Coates stated, “We believe that X has abandoned its rights to the Twitter and Tweet trademarks.”
The new platform emphasizes that it is not affiliated with “X” or the original version of Twitter, clarifying on its website that Operation Bluebird has reclaimed a name abandoned by “X” and is seeking to rebuild it on a foundation of trust.
The message posted on the site adds, “We are not X, and we have no relationship with X company.”
The platform is still in its early stages, with currently only a few hundred users. Its interface and user experience closely resemble the design of the old Twitter and platforms inspired by it, offering features including replies and retweets.
