SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The City of San Francisco is warning of possible legal action over a recent proposal to incorporate “San Francisco” into the name of Oakland’s airport. SF City Attorney David Chiu sent a letter to the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners on Monday warning that the proposal infringes on San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) trademark.
Recently, the Port of Oakland, which manages Oakland’s airport, announced plans to change the airport’s name to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.” Chiu is demanding that the port abandon the proposed name change, according to a news release sent out Monday.
If the port refuses to do so, the City of San Francisco is prepared to take legal action, according to Chiu’s office.
“In addition to the immense confusion and chaos the renaming would cause for travelers and consumers generally, this proposal also infringes on SFO’s trademark,” said Chiu. “We want to see the entire Bay Area thrive as a tourist destination and expand our offering to visitors, but this proposal is not a legal or practical way to go about it.”
“If Oakland moves forward with this proposal, San Francisco will pursue legal action to prevent misuse of our trademark,” Chiu’s statement continued.
“We share the City Attorney’s concerns that this proposed renaming of Oakland International Airport will cause confusion and frustration to the traveling public, especially when considering the large number of international passengers served at Bay Area airports,” said SFO Director Ivar C. Satero.
“If the Port of Oakland decides to proceed with the current renaming proposal, San Francisco will pursue necessary legal action,” Chiu’s office stated.
The Port of Oakland’s proposal to change the current name of the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to incorporate San Francisco has already drawn widespread pushback from SF city officials.
The Port of Oakland is expected to take up the proposal to rename the airport at a public meeting on Thursday. In a statement released Monday, the Port of Oakland cited survey results indicating that local residents were “comfortable” with changing the airport’s name and that there was “overwhelming support for the airport’s efforts to attract new travel destinations.”
“Once the Port Commission has considered the name modification and acted, staff will move forward with the formal renaming, including working with air carriers, other airports, and local agencies to reflect the modification in airport and airline systems,” the port said.
KRON4 has reached out to the Port of Oakland for further comment and received the following statement:
“The proposed name modification will clarify, not confuse. The new name identifies where OAK is actually located, which is on the San Francisco Bay. If the proposed name modification is approved by the Board, the Port will take all appropriate measures to defend its right to use this accurate geographic identifier.”
Here’s is what San Francisco supervisor Asha Safai said about the issue:
“In SF we have gone through a really difficult time. Our economy is beginning to come back in what in means to invest in, visit, travel to San Francisco. The airport is a major part of that, so we are going to do everything we can to protect our brand. protect our airport.”
Alex Baker and Sara Stinson
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