New Social Network "Twitter.now" Launches Under Twitter Name, Trademark Battle with X Enters New Phase

Operation Bluebird, a Virginia-based startup led by Stephen Coates, a former intellectual property attorney at Twitter, announced on August 27, 2026, the launch of a new social media platform called "Twitter.now." Elon Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter in October 2022 and renamed the company to "X" in July 2023. Coates's company argues that the "Twitter" and "Tweet" trademarks have been effectively abandoned since then, and it now aims to rebuild what was once the "public square."

In an interview with Ars Technica, Coates said, "We're a small company, but we have investors and we have a product. We've been waiting months and months to launch, and we're not going to wait any longer," signaling his determination to proceed with the service even as the legal battle with X continues.

Twitter.now states its goal as "building a public square organized around trust, transparency, and user choice." The site prominently declares: "Operation Bluebird is picking up the name X Corp. abandoned and rebuilding it on a foundation of trust. We are not X, and we are not affiliated with X Corp. in any way."

Founding Member Tiers and Unique Features

The new service employs a tiered payment structure for participation. Becoming a founding member costs $20 (approximately ¥3,200), which grants early access, a numbered badge, and a preferred handle. Paying $40 (approximately ¥6,400) or more earns "Fighter" status, which includes all founding member benefits plus a badge featuring a bird holding a slingshot. The company explains that membership fees help fund the fight against X.

Membership Tier	Cost	Key Benefits
Founding Member	$20 (approx. ¥3,200)	Early access, numbered badge, preferred handle
Fighter	$40 (approx. ¥6,400) or more	All founding member benefits + slingshot bird badge

Note: Exchange rates are approximate at the time of announcement.

Twitter.now's user base remains in the hundreds at the time of writing, but its look and feel closely resemble the old Twitter, complete with reply and retweet functions. A standout feature is "Vera," an automated fact-checking tool. Described as a "veracity engine for real-time analysis" built on Google's generative AI "Gemini," Vera automatically verifies the reliability of information in every post.

Coates has reportedly tested Vera by posting obviously false information such as "George Washington was the second president" to confirm the feature works. "Our first goal is to see if we can actually reclaim a safer, less harmful town square," he said.

The Trademark Legal Battle

Coates previously served as head of intellectual property legal affairs during the pre-Musk Twitter era. Following Musk's acquisition and the rebranding to X, Coates argues that X Corp. has abandoned the "Twitter" and "Tweet" trademarks and has filed for cancellation with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In response, X Corp. sued Operation Bluebird for trademark infringement in late 2025, seeking a preliminary injunction in Delaware federal court to block the launch of the new Twitter.

However, at an April 2026 hearing, Judge Colm Connolly offered a preliminary assessment from the bench, stating that "X appears to have abandoned its claims to intellectual property rights in the word 'Tweet,' the Twitter bird logo, and perhaps the word 'Twitter' as well." While a formal written order has not yet been issued, Coates interpreted the remarks as a de facto green light.

"It is our position that X has abandoned its rights in the Twitter and Tweet trademarks," he emphasized.

Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney based in Washington, D.C., who has been closely following the case, acknowledges that Operation Bluebird may have "a viable legal theory," but cautions that this is not a straightforward case for victory.

"It takes a lot of chutzpah to do this. They're going to face the full force of X's response," Gerben said. He added, "The situation when they filed the trademark application is completely different from now that they've actually launched. X Corp. will certainly respond with new action. The stakes have risen dramatically. It's a fascinating development."

X Corp., Musk, and X's attorney Andrew Mayo all did not respond to requests for comment at the time of reporting.

Legal Standards for Trademark "Abandonment" and X's Potential Defenses

U.S. trademark law (the Lanham Act) provides that a trademark is considered abandoned when the owner "discontinues use with intent not to resume such use." Under the statute, "three consecutive years of nonuse creates a presumption of abandonment," which shifts the burden of proof to the trademark owner to show evidence of continued use or intent to resume. According to an analysis by Bradley law firm, which specializes in trademark law, X Corp. effectively stopped using the "Twitter" brand in July 2023, meaning that by July 2026 the nonuse period reached three years, putting Operation Bluebird in a position to assert the statutory presumption. The firm also notes that evidence X Corp. submitted during its 2023 trademark renewal (screenshots of the "Twitter Ads" page) does not reflect current reality, and that prior case law holding that "enforcement actions alone do not constitute legitimate commercial use" also works against X Corp.

Meanwhile, Gerben explains in his law firm's blog that X Corp. has another defense available: "residual goodwill." The theory holds that even if a trademark registration is not actively used, if consumers still strongly associate "Twitter" with X Corp., that recognition itself can serve as a legal basis for protection. Gerben further notes that if X Corp. can demonstrate "legitimate commercial use" through advertising, archived product pages, or internal documents, it would provide a strong defense.

Issue	Operation Bluebird's Argument	X Corp.'s Potential Rebuttal
Period of Nonuse	More than 3 years have passed since the July 2023 rebrand to X, establishing the statutory presumption of abandonment	Can rebut the presumption by proving "legitimate commercial use" through advertising, archived pages, etc.
Brand Recognition	X Corp. has publicly stated it officially ceased using the Twitter brand	"Residual goodwill" remaining among consumers could serve as a basis for protection
Burden of Proof	Once the presumption is established, the burden shifts to X Corp. to produce evidence of continued use	Must prove "intent to resume" through contemporaneous documents, not arguments manufactured after litigation began

Both the cancellation proceeding before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and the lawsuit in Delaware federal court remain pending, with no formal rulings issued to date.

Future Outlook

Twitter.now describes its service policy as follows: "Built as a trusted, open forum for communities, creators, and real-time news. We are committed to protecting freedom of expression while maintaining platform safety. Illegal content, child exploitation, violence, harassment, fraud, and other harmful conduct are prohibited."

Coates champions the principle of "freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach." He stated, "We want to let people say what they want to say, but we want to build a platform that doesn't financially depend on harmful or inaccurate viral content," signaling an intent to explore operations that do not rely on an advertising revenue model.

The outcome of the trademark litigation will determine whether Twitter.now can legally use the "Twitter" name and bird logo. Until a formal ruling is issued, the key question will be how many users the new service can attract in a parallel universe alongside X.