San Francisco sues Oakland over proposed airport name change
The city of San Francisco is suing the nearby city of Oakland over the latter's plan to modify its airport name to include "San Francisco," arguing that the proposed name infringes on its trademark and would "cause confusion and chaos."
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit on Thursday, a week after the Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners preliminarily approved a plan to rename Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.
"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," Chiu said in a statement. "This new name will cause confusion and chaos for travelers, which will damage the travel industry for the entire region."
Chiu said that at least one airline has already started using the modified Oakland airport name, "indicating that SFO has already suffered economic harm."
