Elon Musk is currently being sued by another social media company called X.
X, formerly known as Twitter, is officially being sued as of Monday (October 2) by a Florida-based legal marketing company that has alleged that Musk's re-branding infringes its trademark.
In legal documents shared by Reuters, X Social Media alleges that Elon Musk's X Corp violates sections Sections 32 and 43 (a) of the Lanham Act which protects the owner of a federally registered trademark against the use of similar marks especially when it can cause confusion for the common consumer.
It also added that the popular social media brand has also violated Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices
Act.
X Social Media emphasizes it has been operating under the named trademark since 2016, and Twitter's re-branding ultimately has impacted its revenue.
The suit reads that the marketing firm is "a vanguard in utilizing social media and marketing technology to connect consumers with legal services in situations where those harmed would otherwise remain voiceless and without remedy," and claims that it’s invested more than $400 million in Facebook advertising to reach potential clients.
However, as stated in the documents, Twitter's alleged infringement "has wielded its social media clout, marketing resources, and overall national notoriety to dominate consumer perception of its 'X' mark."
X Social Media is asking the court to force Musk’s company to stop using the 'X' name and has also requested an unspecified amount for the damages the company has faced because of the re-brand.
This is not the only case of legal action Musk is battling right now either.
In a separate case, the South African billionaire is being sued for libel by a recent college graduate who says Musk falsely accused him of being affiliated with a neo-Nazi group.
Twenty-two-year-old Ben Brody, who is being represented by lawyer Mark Bankston, has spoken out against the Space X owner after he replied to a series of tweets that displayed a brawl between members of the Proud Boys and the Rose City Nationalists.
"Over the past several years, Musk has settled into a consistent pattern of making reckless false statements to the detriment of innocent third parties while fostering disinformation and denying neo-Nazi violence," the lawsuit alleges.
In the end, others seemingly joined in on the conversation which involved identifying the people in the clips, one of which allegedly falsely pointed fingers at Brody as being one of the unmasked participants.
An anonymous account tweeted screenshots of a man's face in the video, alongside a picture of Brody, taken from an Instagram post by his college fraternity after Musk questioned who the men were.
As a person with Jewish heritage, being accused of being a neo-Nazi "would be utterly profane and blasphemous if it were true," the suit continues before adding: "Musk's personal endorsement of the false accusation against Ben Brody reverberated across the internet, transforming the accusation from anonymous rumor to gospel truth for many individuals, and causing others to use Musk's endorsement to justify their desire to harass Ben Brody and his family."
"Ben spent the following days and weeks in a cycle of panic, fear, denial, disorientation, and depression," it adds.
Let's hope Musk's legal team is ready for battle.
