Trademark Infringement: Texting Service “X” Gets Lawsuit in Florida

Violation of trademark rights
Texting service “X” gets sued in Florida

October 3, 2023, 12:44 am

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Twitter is now called X. However, the new name may come with some trademark infringement. Several companies, including American company X Social Media, have long since registered related trademarks. That is what has now been filed.

Tesla boss Elon Musk’s messaging service X has been sued by another US company with a letter in its name. X Social Media argued in federal court in Florida in July that Musk’s renaming of Twitter violated trademark rights. The advertising agency has been using “X Social Media” since 2016 and has invested more than $400 million in Facebook advertising.

Twitter’s rebranding confused customers and lost revenue. X is demanding that Social Media ban Musk’s service from using the letter and seeking damages. No statement from X or X social media. Musk’s company could face several trademark disputes over the letter “X,” which appears in hundreds of trademarked names. Things are also important in the EU. As Politico writes, more than 260 X trademarks are registered in a database managed by the European Union Intellectual Property Office.

These include, among others, car manufacturers Honda, Adidas and the band Metallica, which registered “X” as a trademark in the EU. Hardware and software giant Microsoft has two logos with an “X” only in Germany, similar to the Xbox game console’s logo. There will be more Microsoft brands in Great Britain. It is also interesting that media group Fremantle Media has registered trademarks in the EU for its talent show “X Factor”.

It is not yet clear whether further legal action will be taken. However, it is said that a warning has already been issued. Depending on the reputation of a company’s established brand, a breach can result in a huge amount of litigation. From July 2023, Twitter will be called X as part of a rebranding.