The Microsoft X trademark issue has been a hot topic on the internet due to the fact that Musk has recently changed the classic blue bird logo of Twitter to the letter “X.” Now, people are discussing whether it will bring legal consequences because of trademark laws.
Legal complications might arise from Elon Musk’s desire to rename Twitter as X because firms like Microsoft and Meta already own the intellectual property rights to the same letter.
X is a potential for legal problems since it is used and quoted in trademarks so frequently. The business formerly known as Twitter may also have trouble in the future protecting its X brand.
Twitter vs X app: Why is Twitter changing to X?
Microsoft X trademark: Twitter will “100% get sued for this.”
According to trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, there are already approximately 900 active U.S. trademark registrations that cover the letter X across a variety of businesses. Therefore, there is a “100% chance” that Twitter will be sued over this, said Reuters.
On Monday, Musk changed the name of the social media site Twitter to X and introduced a new logo that features a stylized, black-and-white rendition of the letter.
And the icing on the cake: Microsoft owns a trademark for X. So Musk has destroyed a loved and strong brand, for potential years of litigation, and potentially no brand. https://t.co/OztqYGeIMK
— Andres Guadamuz (@technollama) July 24, 2023
If alternative branding may lead to customer confusion, trademark owners who protect things like brand names, logos, and slogans that identify suppliers of goods, may claim infringement. The options for relief include monetary damages and prohibiting use.
Since 2003, Microsoft has controlled the X trademark in connection with communications regarding their Xbox video game system.
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.
When Meta changed its name from Facebook, it faced legal problems over intellectual property. It has been facing trademark claims from virtual reality business MetaX and investment firm Metacapital since last year, and it has already settled one of those disputes over its new infinity-symbol emblem.
The new Twitter “X” logo is a part of the upcoming Twitter rebrand
Other people might still claim the moniker “X” if Musk is successful in altering it.
“Given the difficulty in protecting a single letter, especially one as popular commercially as ‘X,’ Twitter’s protection is likely to be confined to very similar graphics to their X logo. The logo does not have much distinctive about it, so the protection will be very narrow,” said the trademark attorney Douglas Masters to Reuters.
It’s also important to remember that Musk and Microsoft haven’t always been close. After all, rival billionaire Bill Gates, with whom Musk has a meme-driven feud, established the firm.
Threads vs. Twitter: The ultimate battle has begun
Microsoft also made staggering financial investments in OpenAI, the Sam Altman-led AI startup that Musk helped build back in 2015, only to leave the business in 2018 on alleged less-than-friendly terms.
Musk recently threatened legal action against Microsoft on the grounds that OpenAI’s AI training methods used improperly obtained Twitter data.
Does Microsoft own X?
Microsoft has X trademarked since 2003 to use it for its gaming service communications. Xbox is a very known gaming console and service, and the company uses “X” for its gaming department.
However, the Microsoft X trademark is not the only problem for Twitter, as Meta also has the latter trademarked since 2019. Meta’s trademark is for a blue and white X logo, and the company trademarked the letter federally.
Featured image credit: Alexander Shatov on Unsplash
