Why Are Companies Like Meta And Microsoft A Threat To Twitter’s New Logo X?

It has just been a day since Elon Musk announced the new Twitter logo X, and the news has already landed itself in soup. Legal complications could arise if Twitter decides to keep its new logo and change its name to X because firms like Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Meta (META.O) already hold intellectual property rights to the same letter, Reuters reported. 

Meta, Microsoft, And Others Hold Rights Over Letter “X”

Experts claim that businesses like Microsoft and Meta already have intellectual property rights that extend to the same letter. Furthermore, it would be unusual for Twitter to successfully change its name to “X” without encountering any legal issues because the letter “X” is so frequently used and mentioned in trademarks. 

“There’s a 100% chance that Twitter is going to get sued over this by somebody,” trademark attorney Josh Gerben told Reuter. Josh reported that he found approximately 900 current U.S. trademark registrations for the letter X across a variety of businesses.

The new Twitter logo X features a stylized, black-and-white rendition of the letter. If other branding may lead to customer confusion, trademark owners who protect things like brand names, logos, and slogans may claim infringement. The options for relief include monetary damages and prohibiting use.

Microsoft has had exclusive rights to use the X trademark in conjunction with communications relating to its Xbox video game system since 2003. A blue-and-white letter “X” is covered by a federal trademark owned by Meta Platforms, whose Threads platform is a new Twitter rival. The trademark was registered in 2019 and covers industries such as software and social media.

According to Gerben, Meta, and Microsoft are unlikely to file a lawsuit unless they believe their brand equity has been violated by Twitter’s X.

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Token With Name X Skyrockets

The letter X is quite hyped in the industry after the news came out yesterday. Following Elon Musk’s statement that Twitter would be rebranded, the price of an obscure cryptocurrency called X has surged by four figures. The coin is associated with the X NFT marketplace, which declared its closure in May. According to its website, the treasury of about $950,000 was being given back to owners of X tokens.

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