San Francisco threatens to sue the Port of Oakland for trademark infringement over the potential renaming of the Oakland airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.
The big picture: The Port of Oakland justifies the name change as an accurate geographic identifier and intends to defend its right to use it, emphasizing that the airport’s code and visual branding will remain unchanged. The proposed name change aims to increase passenger traffic by associating the airport with the broader region, potentially attracting more travelers and aiding the airport’s post-pandemic recovery.
- San Francisco officials oppose the name change, accusing Oakland of trying to boost traffic by associating the East Bay airport with SFO and expressing concerns that it may confuse travelers.
- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution against the name change, and the San Francisco City Attorney threatens legal action, citing trademark registrations held for a long time and asserting the proposal is not a legal or practical way to boost tourism in the Bay Area.
- The Port of Oakland maintains that the name modification will clarify, not confuse, by accurately identifying the airport’s location on the San Francisco Bay, and pledges to defend its right to use this geographic identifier.
