Oakland has also filed a counterclaim to San Francisco's trademark lawsuit.
May 10, 2024, 1:58 p.m. ET
6 min read
Officials in Oakland, California, approved changing the name of the city's airport to “San Francisco” despite a trademark lawsuit from the city of San Francisco, while also filing their own lawsuit against the neighboring city over the name change dispute.
The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to rename Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. The name change has now taken effect on the airport's website and social media accounts. The airport's three-letter code – OAK – and visual brand remain unchanged.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The board said the new name is part of the port's efforts to “strengthen and expand the airport.”
“Our board came to these conversations with a shared love of Oakland and a desire to see our city and airport thrive,” Port Commission President Barbara Leslie said in a statement after Thursday’s vote. “We move forward with a commitment to honoring our past while building a stronger, more inclusive future.”
After announcing the proposed name change in late March, the board voted unanimously to change the airport's name in a first reading vote on April 11. Leslie said the port subsequently met with “dozens of community leaders and stakeholders” to hear their concerns about the change .
The city of San Francisco filed a federal trademark lawsuit over the plan on April 18, arguing that the proposed name would cause confusion among travelers and infringe on the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) trademark. The city attorney's office said it filed its lawsuit after “several attempts” to work with the Port of Oakland on alternative names.
Two days before Thursday's vote that allowed the Port of Oakland to move forward with the renaming, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu “strongly” urged the Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners to reconsider their plans.
In a letter to the board, he urged commissioners to “instead begin discussions with the city and others about an alternative name that would achieve the port's goals without violating the city's trademark and causing confusion and harm to consumers.” .
San Francisco's lawsuit seeks an injunction to immediately stop use of the name and orders declaring that Oakland has violated the SFO sign and requiring the city to return all materials to destroy files that contain the new name. The lawsuit also seeks unspecified damages and fees.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
San Francisco holds the U.S. federal trademark registration for the “San Francisco International Airport” brand with the first date of commercial use in 1954, the city’s lawsuit says.
In a countersuit filed Thursday, Port of Oakland asked the court to rule that SFO's trademark does not extend to the use of “San Francisco Bay,” arguing that there are multiple airports elsewhere with names that share the same geographic location identifier, for example London, Paris, Beijing, Chicago and Dallas.
“The San Francisco Attorney General’s decision to pursue litigation is an attempt to halt consumer education, prevent expanded air travel options for Bay Area residents and visitors, and is a misdirected use of San Francisco taxpayer dollars,” Port Attorney Mary Richardson said in an explanation. “OAK is committed to improving its flight routes and increasing competition for the benefit of all visitors and residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, including those residing in the City and County of San Francisco. We are ready and willing to work with SFO to expand choice for travelers and invite any productive dialogue to do so.”
The Port of Oakland's lawsuit does not seek monetary compensation or damages.
In a statement to ABC News, Jen Kwart, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, said it was “disappointing that Oakland chose this path and ignored our numerous offers to cooperate on alternative names and avoid litigation.”
“We have strong federal trademark infringement claims against Oakland, and they have left us no choice but to take the next steps in our lawsuit,” the statement continued.
In 2023, 11.2 million passengers came through Oakland airport, while San Francisco airport had 50 million passengers last year.
