Startup Operation Bluebird has launched Twitter.now, a new platform utilizing the name, blue color scheme, and bird logo of the original Twitter. The company argues that X Corp. effectively abandoned these trademarks following Elon Musk's 2023 rebranding of the service.
The Legal Dispute Over 'Abandonment'
The venture is co-founded by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter associate director for trademarks and domain names. Operation Bluebird has petitioned the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the 'Twitter' and 'Tweet' marks, asserting that Musk’s company has ceased commercial use and demonstrated an intent to abandon them.
X Corp. filed a lawsuit in a Delaware federal court in December 2025 to block the startup. While a final ruling is pending, Judge Colm Connolly preliminarily suggested during an April hearing that X may have indeed abandoned its rights to the bird logo and the term 'Tweet.'
Trust and AI Integration
Twitter.now aims to differentiate itself from the current X platform through specific technical features:
- Trust Dial: A tool allowing users to manually adjust the level of trust they require from accounts appearing in their feed.
- Vera: An automated fact-checking tool powered by Google Gemini that evaluates posts for accuracy in real-time.
The platform operates under the principle of "freedom of speech, not freedom of reach," prioritizing user agency over opaque algorithmic distribution.
Access and Sustainability
Currently, Twitter.now is available only to early adopters who pay a fee of $20 or $40. These funds are intended to maintain independence, deter bots, and finance the ongoing legal battle against X Corp. While user numbers remain in the hundreds, the initiative underscores the enduring cultural and commercial weight of the Twitter brand.
