Twitter X

Elon Musk’s move to rebrand Twitter as X may likely take a complicated legal turn. This is due to the difficulty in securing intellectual property rights to the new letter reference, which other companies allegedly own.

Additionally, reports indicate that the platform has not taken any steps to secure the X brand from the current holder of the @X handle, Gene X Hwang of Corporate Photography, indicating more hassles on the way.

On July 23rd, Elon Musk officially unveiled Twitter’s new brand identity, showcasing a sleek, dark-themed X logo.

The announcement generated immense excitement within the platform’s communities, with members and Musk’s fanboys eagerly anticipating the introduction of value-driven features.

However, amid the anticipation and fanfare, one critical aspect has been overlooked – the legal process required for a brand change and the potential consequences if not handled correctly.

According to a TechCrunch report, Gene X Hwang, the founder of Orange Photography, a corporate photo and video studio, already owned an account with the X brand before Twitter’s rebranding initiative.

twitter x
A screen capture of Gene X Hwang’s “@X” account profile from the X social media platform.

Hwang mentioned in an interview with TechCrunch that no representative from the social media company had approached him regarding the X account he operates under @X.

However, he has expressed willingness to give up the handle if Twitter were to make a compelling monetary offer.

Though no specific figure was mentioned, it is speculated to be around a thousand dollars – a price that could prevent a copyright infringement lawsuit, which might lead to damages worth millions of dollars.

Experts believe that Musk can resolve this situation by offering monetary compensation or a collaboration opportunity with Hwang, who has indicated his interest in discussing a possible agreement.

In addition to this, the social networking platform may encounter further legal complications concerning the intellectual property rights of X, owned by Musk’s competitors.

Reuters reported that companies, including Meta and Microsoft, possess intellectual property rights to the letter X.

As X is a widely used trademark, it becomes a target for potential copyright infringement cases, wherein the company might have to defend its newly integrated brand identity.

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told Reuters there is a 100% chance that Twitter will face a lawsuit over its new X brand.

Given the expected legal actions in the coming days, it is obvious that Twitter’s rebranding to X came with a rush.

Nevertheless, there is a belief that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter through X Corp. could be a great strategy to avoid future copyright infringement litigation.

X Corp. Waters Down on Potential Branding Lawsuits

Before anything else, Elon Musk is a technology tycoon, heralded as one of the smartest, alongside Mark Zuckerberg and other bright minds.

He is the founder of Tesla, a groundbreaking electric vehicle (EV) company with a mission to create automated driving EVs, simplifying transportation and combating climate change caused by fossil fuels.

Additionally, Musk owns X Corp., an American technology company established on March 9th, 2023, as the successor to the Twitter platform.

X Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of X Holding Corp, also under Musk’s ownership. This company oversees services on Twitter and has ambitious plans to expand its offerings beyond the social media platform.

Recently, Musk stated that X Corp. had acquired the social networking service to ensure freedom of speech and drive X into an “entire financial world” for all users.

Legal experts believe Musk’s statement indicates that the X platform is in sync with the X Corp., thereby watering down all future branding lawsuits associated with the letter X.

This is because Musk owns the intellectual property rights to X within his tech companies, effectively making the newly rebranded social media platform one of the services offered by X Corp.

References of “Twitter” Still Exists on X Platform

Users have discovered that the X website (X.com) and the app have yet to fully remove all references to its previous brand, Twitter.

Notably, the search prompt box at the top of the X platform still urges users to “search Twitter” instead of “search X.”

Additionally, the platform still refers to posting messages as “Tweet,” prompting users to push a blue button to do so.

Despite these, users remain hopeful that the administration team of X will take swift action to address these brand identity crises in the coming days.

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