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Despite changing its name and using decidedly bird-free branding, X is trying to hold on to its original Twitter trademarks, TechCrunch reports. The xAI-owned social media platform has updated its terms of service to include references to Twitter after previously only mentioning X, and seemingly attempted to counter a startup's petition to cancel the company's Twitter trademarks with a petition of its own.The startup X appears to be responding to is Operation Bluebird, a company cofounded by former Twitter general counsel Stephen Coates that went public last week with plans to capture what remains of Twitter for its own use. The first step in that process was filing a petition with the US Patents and Trademark Office to cancel X's control of Twitters trademarks."The TWITTER and TWEET brands have been eradicated from X Corp.s products, services and marketing, effectively abandoning the storied brand, with no intention to resume use of the mark," Operation Bluebird explained in the petition. Petitioner seeks to use and register the TWITTER and TWEET brands for new products and services, including a social media platform that will be located at the website twitter.new."In fairness to Operation Bluebird, Elon Musk was very open about his plan to abandon the Twitter name and bird logo after he acquired the company in 2022. "And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds," Musk posted in July 2022, not long before Twitter was rebranded to X. Even after the platform rebranded, though, at least one remnant of the original Twitter brand has stuck around: Twitter.com still redirects to X.com.And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023 The updated terms of service TechCrunch spotted now say that as of January 16, 2025, "nothing in the Terms gives you a right to use the X name or Twitter name or any of the X or Twitter trademarks, logos, domain names, other distinctive brand features, and other proprietary rights, and you may not do so without our express written consent." The company's counterpetition also reiterates that the Twitter trademarks are X's "exclusive property."In a statement to Engadget, Coates said that Operation Bluebirds cancellation petition was based on well-established trademark law and that he believes the upstart will prevail. X legally abandoned the TWITTER mark, publicly declared the Twitter brand dead, and spent substantial resources establishing a new brand identity. Our cancellation petition is based on well-established trademark law and we believe we will be successful. They said goodbye. We say hello.At the time of writing, Operation Bluebird has convinced over 145,200 people to claim a handle on the company's new social platform. Maybe X sees that early interest as a threat, but it's just as possible Operation Bluebird's public comments were enough to tip the company off so it could try to hold on to trademarks it clearly believes still hold some value.Update, December 16, 2025, 4:13PM PT: This story was updated to add a statement from Stephen Coates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-was-spooked-enough-by-new-twitter-to-change-its-terms-of-service-231138305.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Tis the season for gift-giving, family feasts and companies turning their harvested user data into lighthearted recaps. Valve's take on the year-end rewind, Steam Replay, is now available. It follows similar offerings from Spotify, Apple Music, PlayStation and, increasingly, just about every service you use. Hell, even Uber and The New York Times somehow justified getting in on the action this year.This is the fourth edition of Valves wrap-up, which looks back on the titles you spent the most time with in 2025. Youll find your top games, the number of titles you played, achievements unlocked and longest streaks. You can see how your habits break down by genre, Steam Deck use and whether they're new releases, recent or classic games. Monthly breakdowns and the percentage of time played (by title) are also included.The review compares your stats to the average Steam user. For example, I played 28 games this year; the Steam median is only four. My longest play streak was 15 days; the median is six. Im only an intermittent gamer, so people who barely play at all are clearly weighing down the averages.You can check out your Steam Replay 2025 by heading to the website and logging in.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-replay-2025-is-here-to-recap-your-pc-gaming-habits-205430951.html?src=rss
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As part of its last Xbox-focused software update of the year, Microsoft is improving the Bluetooth performance of the Xbox Wireless Headset to make it work even better with Windows 11. Microsoft released the latest Wireless Headset as an accessory for Xbox Series X/S and PC, but as of this update, Xbox Wireless Headset owners on Windows will now have a leg up on their console counterparts thanks to support for Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio.Microsoft says that supporting Bluetooth LE Audio will let the headset offer lower latency audio, better battery life, richer stereo sound and the ability to share audio across multiple compatible Bluetooth accessories at the same time. Not revolutionary updates, but still nice to have if you bought a $110 Xbox Wireless Headset back in 2024. Provided you're running the latest version of Windows 11 and your device supports Bluetooth LE, Microsoft says you can take advantage of the improvements by updating your headset in the Xbox Accessories app.If you're a regular user of the Xbox mobile app, Microsoft is also making some changes there. After adding the ability to purchase Xbox games directly from the app in April a feature made possible after Google and Apple were forced to change the rules of their app stores Microsoft is now adding a dedicated Store tab to the app. You'll also be able to add games to your wishlist and search for add-ons and DLC directly in the app.Microsoft ending the year with Windows and mobile app updates reflects the ways the company's gaming strategy has changed in 2025. After spending decades positioning itself as a console maker, Microsoft is seemingly making Xbox software its main focus going forward.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-last-xbox-update-of-2025-includes-a-handy-wireless-headset-upgrade-204500386.html?src=rss
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