Despite neither of them being in the area, claims are rifling between two California flights over the use of the brand” San Francisco.”
San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport ( OAK) has been renamed San Francisco International Airport ( SFO ), and the airport claims that similar names may confound potential travelers.
The Port of Oakland, which replaced” Metropolitan Oakland International Airport” with” Metropolitan Oakland International Airport,” has filed a suit to the plaintiffs ‘ petition asking a prosecutor to rule that the airport’s new title, which was later replaced, is not a trademark infringement.
Port lawyer Mary Richardson on Thursday, announcing the petition, claimed that the name” San Francisco Bay” in the name of Oakland Airport accurately conveys the airport’s geographic area on the Bay and presents the airports as an extra option for entering the San Francisco Bay Area.
The San Francisco city prosecutor’s decision to file a lawsuit is” a misguided usage of San Francisco tax dollars,” she continued.” It is an attempt to stop consumer training, prevent expanded air travel choices for Bay Area residents and visitors, and stop.
The legal turmoil started in April when San Francisco’s officials filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement, claiming the title change was intended to smuggle customers and a poach.
The Metropolitan Oakland International Airport” seeks to increase customers and revenue by rushing to illegally use San Francisco International Airport’s trademark into its own,” the lawsuit claims.
Passengers may simply mix up the two locations, the fit says, and finish up stranded.
The potential for confusion is “particularly high for foreign guests who may not be able to read or talk English,” it states.
Travelers are most likely to be confused and purchase cards to the unexpected airport, believing that SFO will arrive at the” San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport,” which in turn causes delays in flights and links, among other issues.
Officials in Oakland voted unanimously on Thursday to change the name to” OAK” in a move that wo n’t have an impact on the baggage tag’s” OAK” designation.
The two airports sit just 10 miles ( 16 kilometers ) apart, on opposite sides of San Francisco Bay.
SFO is in San Mateo County, while OAK is in Oakland, but neither of them reside in San Francisco.
Both flights are a 20- 40 min taxi ride to downtown San Francisco.
