Oakland Airport Dismisses SFO's Name Confusion Claims as 'Divorced from the Real World'

Oct. 9—San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport claims there's no evidence of confusion over its new name.

The Port of Oakland, which oversees the airport, filed an opposition brief in federal court Tuesday against San Francisco International Airport's bid to stop Oakland from using a name that closely mirrors its own.

Mary Richardson, an attorney for the port, argued that there is no passenger confusion between the two airports and contended that SFO does not have exclusive trademark rights over its name.

She stated that the city of San Francisco's reports of name confusion are "spare, contrived, and divorced from the real world of physical geography" and how customers obtain information about and purchase airline tickets.

San Francisco International Airport filed a motion on Sept. 17 in U.S. District Court seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent Oakland International Airport from using " San Francisco Bay" in its name — a change unanimously approved by the Board of Port Commissioners on May 9.

SFO officials claimed instances of passenger confusion, noting at least two cases where travelers approached its information desks with Oakland boarding passes. About 1,200 flights take off and land at SFO every day, according to data shared by the airport.

Oakland airport officials argued that SFO's case is weak, based on unauthenticated social media opinions, a biased consumer survey and a manufactured

confusion log created by unidentified volunteers.

"Their tactics create an anti-competitive environment that does a disservice to all travelers coming to the Bay Area," said Craig Simon, the Port of Oakland's director of aviation.

The port further argued that Oakland's airport is undeniably on San Francisco Bay's shores and closer to a larger portion of the population, contrasting SFO's location in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County.

Declarations from major airlines, including Southwest and Spirit, confirmed a marketplace "devoid of confusion," port officials said.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu's office sent a statement to the Chronicle in response to the port's opposition papers Wednesday afternoon.

" Oakland's brief shortcuts the analysis of trademark infringement, including San Francisco's evidence showing why consumer confusion is likely," said Jen Kwart, spokesperson for Chiu's office. "That many people, including media outlets, have documented the confusion only reinforces that conclusion. Blatantly ignoring reality is an interesting legal strategy. We look forward to presenting our case to the Court."

The city attorney's office noted that San Francisco International Airport has been in operation since 1927, consistently using either " San Francisco Airport" or "San Francisco International Airport" as its name.

The airport holds federal trademarks for " San Francisco International Airport," the SFO airport code and logo, dating to 2007 and earlier.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is set to review arguments from both airports regarding the motion for a preliminary injunction on Nov. 7.

Reach Aidin Vaziri: [email protected]

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