Elon Musk's X hit with trademark lawsuit from marketing agency


FILE PHOTO: 'X' logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

(Reuters) - X Corp, formerly known as Twitter, was sued in federal court in Florida on Monday by a legal-marketing company that claims the social media giant's new name infringes its trademark incorporating the letter "X."

The lawsuit by X Social Media claims that X Corp, which owner Elon Musk began rebranding to X from Twitter in July, was likely to cause consumer confusion.

The case appears to be the first of what could be numerous trademark disputes with Musk's company over the letter "X," which is commonly used in tech branding.

"X" is included in hundreds of federal trademarks owned by companies including Microsoft and Meta Platforms. X Corp applied for its own U.S. trademarks covering the letter last month.

X Corp did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint. X Social Media declined to comment.

Windermere, Florida-based X Social Media is an ad agency focused on mass-tort litigation. Its website says that Jacob and Roseanna Malherbe founded the agency in 2015 to connect Florida panhandle residents with attorneys in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The lawsuit said the agency has used the "X Social Media" name since 2016 and owns a federal trademark covering it. It said it has invested more than $400 million in Facebook advertising to reach potential clients.

The company said Twitter's rebrand has already confused customers and caused it to lose revenue.

"In a short time, X Corp has wielded its social media clout, marketing resources, and overall national notoriety to dominate consumer perception of its 'X' mark," the lawsuit said.

X Social Media asked the court to force Musk's company to stop using the "X" name and requested an unspecified amount of money damages.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Additional reporting by Dietrich Knauth in New York; Editing by David Bario and Angus MacSwan)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Tech News

Two decades of Nintendo's top-selling DS console
ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode is coming to web browsers
Elon Musk blasts Australia's planned ban on social media for children
Bitcoin's wild ride toward $100,000
OpenAI considers taking on Google with browser, the Information reports
One tech tip: How to get started with Bluesky
FCC proposes fining Chinese video doorbell manufacturer after security concerns raised
Snap seeks to dismiss New Mexico lawsuit over child safety
Crypto industry jockeys for seats at Trump's promised council
Reddit back up after latest outage impacts thousands of users

Others Also Read