“Tweet” and the bird logo apparently enter the public domain

(blog.ericgoldman.org)

64 points | by progval 2 hours ago

9 comments

  • HelloUsername 8 minutes ago
    Related:

    "Twitter Is Back at Twitter.now" 26.aug.2026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49455791 19 comments

    "New Twitter rebrands to Tweet.app after court's double-edged ruling" 06.sep.2026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49581979

    "Twitter" 10.dec.2025 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46223543 11 comments

    "Former Twitter Attorney Files for 'Twitter' Trademark" 09.dec.2025 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46208672 13 comments

    "US startup seeks to reclaim Twitter trademarks 'abandoned' by Musk's X" 09.dec.2025 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46203468

  • weinzierl 1 hour ago
    Probably not many do remember, but before this logo Twitter had a different bird logo until the company was already quite big.

    If I remember correctly this logo was allegedly bought from a royalty free image platform and Twitter had no exclusive rights to it. Also there was a little outcry that the original artist just received the royalty free platform usual ridiculously small one time payment.

    EDIT: The one I remember is the second one in the timeline image from the following (unfortunately ad infested) article, so apparently it was not the first one they had.

    https://www.afaqs.com/news/digital/has-musk-gone-too-far-wit...

    • ChrisRR 6 minutes ago
      I think that image really visualises how bad the x logo is

      https://img-cdn.thepublive.com/filters:format(webp)/afaqs/me...

      The original logos weren't great but they were more charming than X

    • nolok 58 minutes ago
      > Also there was a little outcry that the original artist just received the royalty free platform usual ridiculously small one time payment.

      I mean, if I tell you I'm to sell something to you for 5 dollars and you will be allowed to do this or that with it, and you give me the 5 dollars and then do this or that, it's a bit ridiculous to then have an "outcry" that you were successfull at doing this or that so you owe me more.

      Not trying to offend but artists willing to make bird logo for cheap are a dime a dozen, which is why those site exists in the first place, and they didn't care about which one exactly which is why they went on that site to buy it; it's ot like there was any vile or unfair action being done there.

      • bsoqk 53 minutes ago
        Not all outcries have to be entertained.
  • blfr 1 hour ago
    The core reason to enforce trademarks is not to fluff the corporation that holds it but to let the public be confident in the name. So the trademark should hold for as long as a reasonable person can be confused by the new Twitter regardless of people's dislike towards Elon.

    I may be biased because I still go to Twitter via twitter.com.

    • ChrisRR 5 minutes ago
      I just stopped using twitter and I've not actually felt like I've missed out
    • parl_match 1 hour ago
      I stopped going. Between the spam and the racist unmoderated AI slop cannon that is discovery there, what's the point
      • solarkraft 1 hour ago
        I don’t even open twitter/x links anymore because the page is so unusable.
        • shevy-java 54 minutes ago
          Same here. There is always the "log in" nagging pop-up. But I will never log in again to the right-arm-gesture guy, so this is just time wasted for me.

          We could need some decentralized way to share "tweets" though. Not linked to greedy billionaires.

  • MatthewWilkes 1 hour ago
    Is it accurate to describe this as the public domain? I would expect that the bird logo still enjoys copyright protection, independent from its status as a trademark.
  • Animats 29 minutes ago
    Trademarks are use it or lose it. OLDSMOBILE, for example, is a cancelled General Motors trademark for automobiles.[1] No cars sold, no trademark.
  • mrweasel 18 minutes ago
    I can't figure out if renaming Twitter to X is the stupidest branding decision I've ever encountered or if it's bloody brilliant.

    Every time Danish media talks about X, they say "The social media X". So X in itself is completely unrecognizable, you actively have to mention that you're talking about the social media platform. That's is however also rather genius, because now the connection between X and "social media" is strengthened every time it's mentioned.

    • lexicality 13 minutes ago
      It's stupid. Every normal (ie not terminally online) person I speak to calls it twitter and is confused if I call it X. For some reason most of them think an "x post" is on instagram too. I guess because influencers call crossposting that?
  • Rygian 1 hour ago
    Decision from the judge "Issuance of the injunction precluding Bluebird's use of the Twitter-formative marks is contingent on X Corp.'s posting of a $500,000 bond."

    Both X Corp. and Bluebird have asked to go to court on Nov 2027.

  • throw3212 54 minutes ago
    Twitter has become a racists hangout place
    • whatsupdog 42 minutes ago
      [flagged]
      • johneth 20 minutes ago
        > My point is that this term has been used so loosely, it has lost its meaning.

        Have you taken a look at X/Twitter lately? There is a lot of out and out racism. Don't give the benefit of the doubt that it's just people who want "border control".

  • shevy-java 56 minutes ago
    A small, but nonetheless strategically important, defeat for the billionaire Elon "my right arm constantly twitches into a straight arm" musky Musk.