San Francisco, California, is suing Oakland, California, for federal trademark infringement over its name change to its airport to include "San Francisco Bay."
The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners voted unanimously earlier this month to change the name of Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport in an effort to note its proximity to the city. San Francisco officials have protested the change, arguing it would confuse travelers intending to go to San Francisco International Airport, and now the city is suing over the name change, arguing it infringes on SFO's trademark.
“We had hoped Oakland would come to its senses, but their refusal to collaborate on an acceptable alternative name leaves us no choice but to file a lawsuit to protect SFO’s trademark,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement.
“This new name will cause confusion and chaos for travelers, which will damage the travel industry for the entire region. We are already seeing at least one airline use the new name, indicating that SFO has already suffered economic harm," he added. "We want to see the entire Bay Area thrive as a tourist destination and expand our offerings to visitors, but the renaming is not a legal or practical way to go about it.”
In the announcement of the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the city attorney's office claims it had made multiple offers to "collaborate on alternative names" but that Oakland had refused, leading them to file the lawsuit.
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The Port of Oakland denies that the new name violates SFO's trademark and said they will "vigorously defend" their right to use "San Francisco Bay" in its name.
"OAK's proposed renaming does not infringe upon SFO's mark. We will vigorously defend our right to claim our spot on the San Francisco Bay. We are standing up for Oakland and our East Bay community," the Port of Oakland said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
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