Elon Musk's X hit with trademark lawsuit
from marketing agency
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[October 03, 2023]
By Blake Brittain
(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." |
![](../images/100323PIX/busine69.jpg)
'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 |
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)
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