Twitter Fights for 'Tweet' Trademark

The word "tweet" may be firmly established in the lexicon, but that doesn't mean Twitter owns the rights. In fact, the company has struck out twice trying to trademark the word because other web startups got there first, explains the Wall Street Journal. One, for example, is Twittad, which trademarked the phrase "Let Your Ad Meet Tweets." Twitter sued the company this month in federal court and has closed its Twitter account.

"It is in the best interests of our users and developers for the meaning of 'Tweet' to be preserved to prevent any confusion, so we are taking action to protect its meaning," the company says in a statement. But if the Journal story is any indication, Twitter lawyers may be busy: "A whipped-marshmallow maker, a manufacturer of over-the-door metal hooks and a seller of 'bird remediation and pest control' systems have filed trademark applications for the term, according to the U.S. trademark database," it says. (More Twitter stories.)