Operation Bluebird aims to relaunch Twitter name and iconic bird logo

Operation Bluebird, organized by Chicago-area trademark attorney Peroff and others, is attempting to reclaim the Twitter name and the platform’s illustrated bird logo after Elon Musk’s July 2023 tweet that “we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand, and gradually, all the birds.” Peroff and the group say they intend to bring back Twitter in name, services, and format, targeting commercial brands that have grown wary of advertising on X amid content concerns such as extremist views, scam-like posts, or pornbots.

A September 2024 Kantar study found 26 percent of surveyed marketers planned to abandon their ad campaigns on X. Peroff told Ars that “we think our moderation tools will help the discussion evolve into something more responsible” and that “brands are stuck on X because they have no other place to go.” The report notes Threads tested ads earlier this year and recently reached about 400 million monthly active users, while Mastodon and Bluesky currently have no advertising.

Trademark experts quoted by Ars say X may face a legal challenge. Mark Lemley, a Stanford Law professor and trademark expert, said X might be able to defend the Twitter marks if it can show it is still using them, adding that “mere ‘token use’ won’t be enough” and that X could defend the marks if it can show plans to resume using Twitter.

Key Topics

Tech, Operation Bluebird, Twitter, X Corporation, Elon Musk, Larry Bird