Elon Musk’s X Gets Sued Once Again For Having A Logo Too Alike Another’s

Illustration 285470416 © Prathmesh Thorat | Dreamstime.com

X-ternal forces are at play between social media companies, and this time it’s not about follower counts or trending topics, but a fight for a single letter: X.

Virginia-based PR firm Multiply is suing Elon Musk’s social media platform, formerly known as Twitter and now rebranded as X, for trademark infringement. Multiply alleges that X’s use of the ‘X’ logo for social media marketing services directly clashes with its own established brand identity. The former claims it’s been using its X emblem and branding, which has a federally registered trademark, since 2019.

This lawsuit isn’t the first time Musk’s X has faced trademark troubles. Following the rebranding last year, another marketing company, X Social Media, filed a similar infringement suit.

Today on Brand New (Linked): Multiply, a social media and PR agency, files lawsuit against @X , claiming infringement on the trademark of its “X” logo, citing confusion among Multiply’s clients, prospective clients, and colleagues. Nah. https://t.co/79S2wbdD2E pic.twitter.com/5irkUHnAGV

— UnderConsideration (@ucllc) July 23, 2024

Multiply, however, emphasizes the confusion this creates for its clientele, having built a reputation managing social media campaigns for major beverage brands like Arizona and Corona. It argues that many of its existing and potential clients also fall within X Corp’s target audience.  According to the lawsuit, this overlap has already led to misunderstandings, prompting Multiply to seek legal action.

Multiply is asking the court to bar X Corp from using its ‘X’ trademark and is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

[via Law360, Brand New, SmartRules, images via various sources]