Twitter's 'X' Rebranding May Face Copyright Issues From Microsoft, Meta, Others: Here's Why

Both Meta and Microsoft hold trademarks for the use of 'X' as a brand identity.

Elon Musk's recent decision to rebrand Twitter as X might face legal complexities due to existing intellectual property rights held by other companies, including Meta and Microsoft. As the letter X is widely used in various trademarks, it could potentially lead to legal challenges for the newly renamed Twitter, now known as X. Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told Reuters that there are nearly 900 active US trademark registrations covering the letter X across a wide range of industries, making legal disputes highly likely.

Microsoft has held a trademark for X since 2003, specifically related to communications concerning its Xbox video game system. On the other hand, Meta Platforms, which recently introduced Threads, a new rival to Twitter, obtained a federal trademark in 2019 for a blue-and-white stylised letter "X" in areas like software and social media.

While Meta and Microsoft may not immediately sue Twitter over the X rebrand, they might take legal action if they perceive any threat to their own brand equity linked to the letter X.

Meta itself faced intellectual property challenges when it rebranded from Facebook. Lawsuits were filed against the company by investment firm Metacapital and virtual-reality company MetaX, and they also settled another dispute related to their new infinity-symbol logo.

If Elon Musk's rebranding succeeds, there is still a possibility of others claiming the letter 'X' for themselves. Given the difficulty in protecting a single letter, Twitter's protection of its X logo is likely to be confined to very similar graphics to maintain its distinctiveness.

The decision to adopt the name X could lead to legal battles and a narrow scope of protection for Twitter's new logo. Meta and Microsoft are among the companies that could potentially challenge the rebranding move, adding further complexity to the situation.

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino expressed her vision for "X" as a future state of unlimited interactivity, with a focus on audio, video, messaging, payments/banking, and the creation of a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities.