The legal turbulence began in April when officials in San Francisco filed a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement
San Francisco:
Litigation is ongoing in a dispute between two California airports over the right to use the name ‘San Francisco’ – despite neither being in the city.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is suing the recently renamed San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK), insisting the similar names could confuse potential passengers.
Their lawsuit was met with a counterclaim from The Port of Oakland, asking a judge to rule that the airport’s new name — which replaced “Metropolitan Oakland International Airport” — is not copyright infringement.
“Changing the name of Oakland Airport from ‘Metropolitan’ to ‘San Francisco Bay’ accurately describes OAK’s geographic location on the Bay and presents the airport as an additional choice for travel to the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Port Attorney Mary Richardson Thursday. the lawsuit.
The San Francisco City Attorney’s decision to file a lawsuit “is an attempt to shut down consumer education, prevent expanded air travel options for Bay Area residents and visitors, and is a misuse of San Francisco taxpayer dollars” , she added.
The legal turbulence began in April when officials in San Francisco filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement, claiming the name change was a customer grab and an attempt to steal business.
“The Metropolitan Oakland International Airport is attempting to increase passenger numbers and profits by rushing to unlawfully incorporate the trademarked name of San Francisco International Airport into its own name,” the complaint said.
Passengers could easily confuse the two destinations, the suit says, and end up stranded.
“The potential for confusion will be particularly acute for international travelers who may not speak or read English,” it says.
“Travelers are very likely to get confused and book tickets to the unintended airport, assuming that the ‘San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport’ is SFO and arrive at the wrong place, an error that, among other things, leads to missed flights and connections .”
Despite the lawsuit, officials in Oakland voted unanimously Thursday to adopt the new name, a move that will not affect the “OAK” designation used on luggage tags.
The two airports are just ten miles apart, on opposite sides of San Francisco Bay.
Neither is actually in San Francisco – SFO is in San Mateo County, while OAK is in Oakland.
Both airports are a 20-40 minute taxi ride from downtown San Francisco.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
