Federal judge blocks X rival from using Twitter name, permits use of “Tweet” trademark

A federal judge issued a temporary injunction preventing a startup that competes with X from using the “Twitter” name, while simultaneously concluding that X is likely to have abandoned its “Tweet” trademark and associated bird logo. The ruling, handed down in a trademark dispute, restricts the rival’s branding efforts until the case proceeds further, but it also signals that X may no longer hold exclusive rights to the “Tweet” identifiers that it once used to market its services.

Following the decision, the startup rebranded and launched under the name Tweet.App, positioning itself as an alternative platform to X. The court’s finding of probable abandonment of the “Tweet” marks could open the door for the new service to secure its own trademark registrations, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape for micro‑blogging services. The case remains pending, and both parties are expected to present additional arguments in the coming weeks.