Twitter's Risky Rebranding to 'X': Meta, Microsoft Hold Trademarks On The Name
Twitter is now X! In a rebranding exercise, owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino announced that Twitter would be renamed to "X" and offer more functionality than ever before as part of their vision to cre
ate an "everything app."
Is Twitter safe as X?
Even then, this rebranding could have legal issues. Many tech companies, including Meta and Microsoft have intellectual property rights to the same letter. As Reuters reported, X is widely used and cited in trademarks, making it a potential problem for X in the future.
Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney told Reuters that there's a "100% chance that Twitter is going to get sued over this by somebody." Gerben himself counted nearly 900 active US trademarks that cover the letter X in different industries.
On Monday, Elon Musk debuted the X branding - a black and white logo that represents the letter. In case consumer confusion is on the cards, owners of other X-related trademarks could claim infringement.
Also read:?Twitter Unveils Rebranding As 'X', An Everything App Powered By AI
Since 2003, Microsoft has owned an X trademark related to Xbox services; and Meta Platforms has owned a trademark since 2019 about a blue-and-white X for social media and software.
Even then, Meta and Microsoft would only feel compelled to sue if they felt that Twitter's X encroaches on their brand. If Big Tech companies do not sue X (Twitter), other parties could, considering how commercial the letter X is. Since there is nothing distinctive about it, protections associated with the logo could be restricted.
Also read:?Elon Musk's Vision For Twitter Unfolds As X Corp. Absorbs Twitter Inc. In Merger
Microsoft owns the trademark for video game-related services so Twitter could be in the clear. But Meta has the trademark for "online social networking services." Even then, it doesn't own the letter X or the current logo used by X. Only time will tell how the X saga unfolds.
What do you think about Twitter's new avatar? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.
