Twitter.now Launch Triggers Trademark Battle With X

Operation Bluebird has launched Twitter.now, a paid, Twitter-like platform launched by a Virginia-based startup led by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademarks official, while X continues to contest the use of the Twitter name in court. The service mimics the original Twitter’s format but introduces a Trust Dial and an AI fact-checking system called Vera, built on Google’s Gemini, to contextualize posts and surface sourcing. Early access requires a $20 or $40 tier, and Bluebird argues that X abandoned the Twitter and Tweet trademarks after rebranding to X, paving the way for its revival. X has taken legal action to block the launch, even as a Delaware court exchange indicated possible grounds for Bluebird to proceed based on questions about the brand’s trademark status. The broader landscape includes competing platforms like Meta’s Threads and Bluesky, as Bluebird positions Twitter.now as a reinvention focused on user-controlled trust rather than algorithm-driven reach, with the aim of reviving interest in the original brand.