Twitpic, the popular image sharing service, is shutting down after all. The company had initially announced a September 25 shutdown date due to a trademark dispute with Twitter, but subsequently raised hopes about its survival by claiming it had found a buyer. But the acquisition apparently fell through and the service will shutdown for real on October 25.

“We worked through a handful of potential acquirers and exhausted all potential options,” Twitpic founder Noah Everett said in a blog post. “We were almost certain we had found a new home for Twitpic (hence our previous tweet), but agreeable terms could not be met.”

Fortunately, Twitpic users will be able to export their data right up until the October 25 deadline. All you need to do is head to the Twitpic website and log in with your Twitter account. Click the “Settings” link in the top right-hand corner and you’ll be directed to a page with a “Request Your Data” button. Click the button and the tool will prepare your images as a ZIP file for downloading. A “Download Now” link will appear when the ZIP file is ready. Users should note that only their last 5,000 photos are available for export.

Twitpic first arrived on the scene in 2008 when Twitter had no image hosting of its own. Twitpic provided this service, allowing users to upload photos and videos, and to share them via tweeting out a link. But Twitter launched its own photo sharing service in 2011, consequently rendering Twitpic somewhat redundant, though still hugely popular.

Twitter, for its part, is claiming that the trademark complaint is all about brand protection.

“We’re sad to see Twitpic is shutting down,” a spokesperson for Twitter said in a statement. “We encourage developers to build on top of the Twitter service, as Twitpic has done for years, and we made it clear that they could operate using the Twitpic name. Of course, we also have to protect our brand, and that includes trademarks tied to the brand.”