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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Technology

Twitter Is Back: New 'Bird App' Emerges as Competitor to X

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • A new social media platform named Twitter has launched, aiming to compete with Elon Musk's X.
  • The platform is developed by a group led by Stephen Coates, a former legal counsel for the original Twitter.
  • The new Twitter operates under the domain Twitter.now and retains the original blue color scheme and a bird logo, while facing a trademark lawsuit from Musk's X Corp.

The social media landscape sees a potential shake-up with the emergence of a new platform calling itself Twitter, directly positioning itself as a competitor to Elon Musk's X.

We have waited months and months to launch, and we are not going to wait anymore.

— Stephen CoatesCoates expresses the long-held intention and urgency behind the launch of the new Twitter platform.

This new iteration is spearheaded by Stephen Coates, who previously served as legal counsel for the original Twitter before its acquisition and rebranding by Musk. Launched under the URL Twitter.now, the platform seeks to evoke the spirit of the pre-Musk era, featuring the iconic blue color scheme and a distinct bird logo, albeit with added plumage.

The launch, however, is shadowed by a trademark lawsuit filed by Musk and X Corp. Coates expressed confidence, however, citing a preliminary ruling by District Court Judge Colm Connolly that questioned X's credible evidence of using the 'tweet' or bird logo trademarks. "It's our opinion that X has abandoned its rights on the Twitter and tweet trademarks," Coates stated, suggesting the new entity has a strong legal footing.

It's our opinion that X has abandoned its rights on the Twitter and tweet trademarks.

— Stephen CoatesCoates states the legal team's belief that X Corp. has relinquished its claims to the original Twitter trademarks.

Operation Bluebird, the startup behind the new Twitter, maintains the project's legality, arguing that Musk's swift rebranding to X after the 2022 acquisition signaled an abandonment of the original Twitter identity and intellectual property. The platform explicitly states its separation from X Corp, emphasizing in its branding and posts that it is "not affiliated with X Corp. Whatsoever."

The public square is open again, and definitely not affiliated with X in any way. Whatsoever.

— Stephen CoatesCoates reaffirms the platform's independence from X Corp. and its role in reopening public discourse.

Beyond its nostalgic appeal, the new Twitter introduces innovative features, including an AI tool named Vera (veracity engine for real-time analysis). This tool is designed to automatically fact-check posts, aiming to combat misinformation and provide users with verified information. The mission statement also reflects a desire to return control to users, noting that "social media became extraordinarily powerful, but somewhere along the way the people using it lost control."

Social media became extraordinarily powerful, but somewhere along the way the people using it lost control.

— New Twitter Mission StatementThe platform's mission statement highlights a perceived loss of user control in modern social media.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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