The city of San Francisco filed a trademark infringement action against the city of Oakland on Thursday over the planned name of Oakland’s airport, according to a news release from the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office.
What Oaklank’s Board of Commissioner is saying?
Last week, the Port of Oakland’s Board of Commissioners decided unanimously to proceed with the name change, with a second vote slated for final approval on May 9. The airport is currently known as Oakland International Airport.
Oakland claims that changing the airport’s name will increase regional awareness, support 30,000 employment, and bring in $1.6 billion annually. According to a research cited by port officials, 30% of domestic travelers are uninformed of the airport’s location, which has negatively impacted their capacity to provide a wide range of route options.
What is the problem with the new name?
Oakland was forced to stop using the new name after City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit in federal court on Thursday, demanding damages.
“Oakland Airport’s actions violate federal and state intellectual property laws, disregard SFO’s long-standing protected mark, brand, and identity, and cause legal infringement and confusion among consumers.” The lawsuit stated, in part, that “the City and County of San Francisco (the “City”) have no choice but to bring this complaint due to Oakland Airport’s hurried and needless efforts and refusal to engage in discussions of alternative names.”
According to Chiu, “Oakland’s name is going to cause immense confusion and chaos for travelers all over the world, particularly visitors for whom English is not their first language,” in a CBS News Bay Area interview.