Elon Musk’s decision to change the name of Twitter to “X” could potentially lead the billionaire to legal troubles. This is because the letter “X” is far from being available for his project, especially in the tech world.
There is a high chance that Twitter will be sued by someone over this, as companies like Meta (META.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) already hold intellectual property rights for the same letter.
“There’s a 100% chance Twitter is going to be sued over this,” said Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney, who mentioned that he found nearly 900 active US trademark registrations already covering the letter “X” in a wide range of industries. On Monday, Mr. Musk renamed the social media platform Twitter to “X” and unveiled a new logo for the social media platform, a stylized black and white version of the letter.
Trademark owners, who protect elements such as brand names, logos, and slogans that identify the sources of products, can allege infringement if another mark is likely to cause confusion in consumers’ minds. Remedies can range from monetary damages to stopping the use of the mark.
Since 2003, Microsoft has owned a trademark for “X” related to communications in connection with its Xbox gaming system. Meta Platforms – whose Threads platform is a new rival to Twitter – holds a federal trademark registered in 2019 covering the blue and white letter “X” for areas such as software and social media. Meta and Microsoft probably won’t file a lawsuit unless they feel threatened that Twitter’s use of “X” will encroach upon the brand value they have built with the letter, Mr. Gerben said.
