Elon Musk may face legal trouble for rebranding Twitter

Elon Musk's decision to rebrand Twitter as "X" may land him in legal trouble. Other companies, including Meta and Microsoft, already own the intellectual property rights to the letter "X." These companies could sue Twitter for trademark infringement.

"There is a 100% chance that Twitter will be sued by someone," trademark attorney Josh Gerben told Reuters. He said that there are about 900 active US trademark registrations that already use the letter "X" in a wide range of industries.

Microsoft has had a trademark on the letter "X" since 2003, relating to communications about its Xbox video game system. Meta has also trademarked the letter "X" in blue and white, for use in the software and social media fields.

Gerben said that Meta and Microsoft are unlikely to sue Twitter unless they feel that Twitter's use of the letter "X" is causing them actual harm. However, he said that the mere fact that Twitter is using a trademark that is already owned by another company could be enough to open them up to a lawsuit.

This is not the first time that Musk has faced legal trouble over his use of trademarks. In 2018, he was sued by the company Teslaquila for trademark infringement. The company argued that Musk's use of the name "Teslaquila" for a line of alcoholic beverages was too similar to their own name. The case was eventually settled out of court.

It remains to be seen whether Musk will face any legal consequences for rebranding Twitter as "X." However, the fact that other companies already own the trademark to the letter "X" suggests that he could be at risk of a lawsuit.

In addition to the legal risks, Musk's decision to rebrand Twitter as "X" has also been met with criticism from some users. Some people have argued that the new name is too generic and does not accurately reflect the identity of the platform. Others have said that the name change is simply a way for Musk to distance himself from the previous management of Twitter.

Only time will tell whether Musk's decision to rebrand Twitter as "X" will be a success. However, the legal and branding risks associated with the name change suggest that it could be a risky move for the company.