San Francisco Files Lawsuit Against Oakland Over Airport Renaming

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit on Thursday against the City of Oakland over approved plans to rename Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, saying that they infringe on San Francisco International Airport’s trademark.

The name change plan from “Oakland International Airport” to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” was released in late March, as the Globe reported. According to Oakland Airport officials, the airport’s name is often confusing for travelers, as the name of the airport fails to give the impression just how close the airport is to San Francisco. That lack of understanding, according to airport officials, have also cost the airport major airline routes and passengers. While officials have said that the airport will not be changing their airport code away from OAK or any Oakland visual branding, it would create an overall identity change.

However, San Francisco and San Francisco Airport officials quickly denounced the name proposal, saying it would only confuse travelers with a mix up over the San Francisco Airport name. Many travelers would also likely book wrongly because of the name change, constituting lost connections and a long travel distance between airports.

A back and forth between the cities ensued, with Oakland claiming the name was more geographic than anything else. However, the name change proved to be very unpopular across the Bay, with groups such as the NAACP and many tech companies coming out in opposition. As the April 11th vote by the Port of Oakland neared, Chiu warned them that they would be filing a lawsuit if the name change was approved.

Despite the impending lawsuit and the majority of Bay area residents and lawmakers being against the name change, the Port of Oakland went ahead and approved the new name last week in a unanimous vote. At least one airline, Azores Airlines, even began using the new name of the airport even though it hasn’t been made official yet.

“We are standing up for Oakland and the East Bay,” said Port Commission President Barbara Leslie in a statement. “This will boost inbound travelers’ geographic awareness of the airport by highlighting the airport’s location on the San Francisco Bay. This name will make it clear that OAK is the closest major airport, for 4.1 million people, three national laboratories, the top public university in the country, and California’s Wine Country.”

For the past week, Chiu and the city drafted a lawsuit, intending to file it this week. They proceeded to do so on Thursday, citing Oakland for trademark infringement, as well as being confusing for passengers and likely causing travel mishaps for passengers as well.

“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,” said City Attorney Chiu. “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. 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.”

“The renaming plan appears intentionally designed to divert travelers who may be unfamiliar with Bay Area geography and lead them to believe OAK has a business relationship with SFO, which it does not. Renaming would be particularly confusing for international travelers who don’t speak or read English.”

We had hoped Oakland would collaborate with us on alternative names to avoid litigation, but they refused to engage. San Francisco has no choice but to file a lawsuit to protect SFO’s trademark.https://t.co/KPPY2MI4bp

— David Chiu (@DavidChiu) April 18, 2024

SFO Airport Director Ivar C. Satero added, “After nearly a century of service, the San Francisco International Airport is an established brand that is instantly recognizable to travelers around the world. The proposed renaming of Oakland International Airport will have a detrimental impact on the passenger experience, creating confusion and frustration for travelers, especially those from foreign markets. For these reasons, we support this legal challenge and urge the Port of Oakland to find a solution that puts all Bay Area airport customers first.”

In a short statement, the Port of Oakland once again defended the name change and said that they would be defending it in court.

“OAK’s proposed renaming does not infringe upon SFO’s mark,” said the Port of Oakland. “We will vigorously defend our right to claim our spot on the San Francisco Bay.”

With a suit now filed in court and a second reading of the resolution and final vote scheduled to take place on May 9th, airport experts said to the Globe on Friday that Oakland now faces a huge challenge if they want to keep the name change.

“Every time they talk about the name change, they automatically mention that it is nothing like San Francisco’s name,” London-based airport and airport terminal expert Alistair Jones told the Globe Friday. “Every time. That’s not exactly a winning argument there. More to it, trademark infringements between airports are not very common. Airports close to each other always try to make their own identity while also advertising where they serve. When Ontario broke away from the Los Angeles Airport system several years ago, they took on an identity serving the Inland Empire but while also saying LA was only about an hour away.”

“Oakland, they decided to go a very dishonorable route. They had so many other better options that would not have made San Francisco mad. They should have worked with them on a proper name in fact. Oakland is in the wrong here, and everyone but them seems to know it.”

A second reading of the resolution and a final vote is to take place on May 9th.