

I thought being on retainer meant that they get paid to be ready to take on a case if needed and ensure they get at least partially paid for their services. I bet a major case like this would call for a whole team of lawyers all billing for hundreds of hrs of work. I don’t think a retainer would cover everything. I could be wrong though, I’m not a lawyer.
What if instead of taking over Twitter handle X, he had taken over Twitter handle of say NY Times. Not blocked it or suspended but straight up takeover. They’re part of that company’s brand. X May have not been important monetarily to that person but doing something like this without offering some sort of compensation signals to all other companies who use Twitter that their handle isn’t safe. This may be a unique instance because he wants the X Twitter handle for their rebranding, but it is an asshole move and undoubtedly others will be watching closely.
I agree. They are within their rights to do whatever with their database, their service. But if their decisions impact someone else’s business then they shouldn’t be surprised if someone takes legal action.