Microblogging website Twitter has had its trademark application for the word “Tweet” turned down by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The USPTO turned down Twitter’s request in 2009 because a company called Twittad had already registered the phrase “Let Your Ad Meet Tweets” in 2008.
After further investigation, USPTO upheld its original decision at the end of last year.
Twitter, unimpressed by the decision, re-filed its trademark application for the term, but has yet again been rebuffed by the regulator.
Adjudicators used Section 2 of the Lanham Act to knock back the Twitter request. Section 2 states that registered mark applications will be refused if they are too similar to, or cause consumer confusion with, already registered trademarks.
Analysts believe that Twittad will use its trademark as a bargaining tool with Twitter — a potentially lucrative situation.