City files motion to stop OAK airport from using "San Francisco Bay" name
San Francisco officials filed a motion to stop Oakland International Airport from using "San Francisco Bay" in its name, claiming travelers have confused the recently renamed East Bay airport with SFO.
On Tuesday, City Attorney David Chiu sought a preliminary injunction against the city and Port of Oakland, which operates OAK airport.
"We are already seeing traveler confusion around the use of Oakland's new name," Chiu said in a statement. "This was entirely predictable and preventable."
According to Chiu, travelers intending to fly to Oakland have mistakenly booked flights to SFO since OAK changed its official name to "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport" over the spring.
In an interview with CBS News Bay Area, Chiu said, "SFO has already suffered economic harm while Oakland is profiting from SFO's investment and reputation and services. And I'll note, all of us will want the entire Bay Area region to succeed when it comes to tourism. We want Oakland airport to do well. But this isn't a practical or legal way for them to go about it."
Chiu arugued that travelers have also been directed to the wrong airport by digital assistants and rideshare services.
"We have observed multiple incidents of customer confusion resulting from Oakland Airport's rebranding," said SFO Airport Director Ivar Satero. "We thank the City Attorney's Office for taking this action to prevent further customer disservice at both airports."
The city attorney also claimed that mediation between Oakland and San Francisco that took place last month was "not fruitful."
"We tried to reason with Oakland officials to avoid litigation and come up with alternative names that would work for all of us. Unfortunately, those efforts were not productive, and we have no choice but to ask the court to step in and protect our trademark," Chiu went on to say.
Chiu's office had filed a lawsuit earlier this year following OAK's renaming, alleging the new name infringes on SFO's trademark. San Francisco claims it has held the federal trademark registration for San Francisco International Airport since 1954.
Port of Oakland officials approved renaming the airport in April, claiming a lack of "geographic awareness" among out of-town visitors about where Oakland is located and losing routes over the last 15 years.
The port filed a countersuit against San Francisco, claiming that the name does not infringe on SFO's trademark and that no one owns or has trademark rights to the San Francisco Bay.
CBS News Bay Area spoke with travelers in Oakland about this legal battle.
"I only care that there's an airport where I want to go. That's it. I mean it's self-serving but I don't care what you call it," Rodney Ford, a traveler, said "I know who you are, I know which airport it is, and so that's about the extent of my concern."
Meanwhile, others can understand San Francisco's argument.
"I could see where it could cause conflict there with the city, here, as opposed to the revenues going from one place moving to another. So, it could be harmful and hurtful to the city," said Teresa Minor, who arrived in Oakland Tuesday to visit family in the East Bay.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Port of Oakland attorney Mary Richardson blasted San Francisco's lagest legal move, calling the request "a continuation of tactics rooted in publicity and anti-competitive bullying rather than on legal merits."
"Let's be clear – this lawsuit, which now includes a request aimed at immediately stopping OAK from rightly using its location on the San Francisco Bay in its name – is not an attempt by SFO to prevent confusion," Richardson said. "Instead, it's nothing more than an attempt to stifle competition and travel choices by Bay Area residents and position SFO as the only airport that serves the San Francisco Bay Area. It is not, and OAK will continue to aggressively fight for its position on the San Francisco Bay."
Richardson also said Oakland has yet to receive a response on the countersuit.
Sooji Nam contributed reporting.