San Francisco and Port of Oakland reach deal over Oakland airport name

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The city and county of San Francisco and the Port of Oakland announced Tuesday they reached a settlement in the two-year federal trademark infringement battle over the name of the Oakland Airport.

Under the agreement, the Port of Oakland will be allowed to use the name “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport” for its airport, with certain restrictions to ensure “San Francisco” is not more prominent than “Oakland” in any marketing, references, or displays.

The port will not be able to promote or display the terms “San Francisco,” “San Francisco Bay,” “San Francisco Airport,” “San Francisco Bay Airport,” or any acronym incorporating “SF” for its airport without including “Oakland” before.

The Port is also barred from buying search keywords including “San Francisco [or SF] Airport,” “San Francisco [or SF] International Airport,” and “SFO.”

The agreement further restricts single-word combinations used in marketing, such as hashtags and social media handles, that begin with “San Francisco” or “SF,” such as “sfbayairport.” Other prohibited single-word combinations are those that include “San Francisco” or “SF” not immediately followed by “Bay,” such as “oaksfairport,” and those that shorten “Oakland,” but not “San Francisco,” such as “OakSanFranciscoBayAirport.”

Additionally, the port can’t use the names “Oakland San Francisco International Bay Airport,” “Oakland San Francisco Bay International Airport,” any name beginning with “San Francisco,” “SF,” or “SFO” as the first city or airport reference, or any name where “San Francisco” is not immediately followed by “Bay.”

The airport will continue to use the airport code OAK.

In a joint statement, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and San Francisco International Airport director Mike Nakornkhet celebrated the agreement.

“We are pleased that we could come to a mutual resolution that accomplishes Oakland’s goals while still protecting the San Francisco International Airport trademark,” Chiu said.

“We are grateful to have reached a resolution in this matter,” Nakornkhet said. “This agreement provides clarity for travelers to make informed decisions about travel through our respective airports.”

Mary Richardson, an attorney for the Port of Oakland, also celebrated the settlement.

“We’re proud Oakland fought for, and preserved the right to retain our airport’s full name that puts Oakland first and recognizes OAK’s location on the San Francisco Bay,” she said. “We believe more awareness of the airports in the region benefits all consumers.”

Since 1954, San Francisco has used the trademarked name “San Francisco International Airport.” In April 2024, Oakland announced plans to change its airport’s name from “Metropolitan Oakland International Airport” to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”

San Francisco sued shortly after, claiming the new airport name infringed its trademark and caused confusion for customers. That November, a federal court agreed, blocking the Port of Oakland from using the name “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”

“Including ‘San Francisco’ in the name of the Oakland airport when there is in fact no affiliation, connection or association between the Oakland airport and San Francisco is contrary to how airports in the United States are normally named and is highly likely to be confusing,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson said.

The Port of Oakland reverted to the airport’s original name, “Oakland International Airport,” for almost eight months until last July, when the Board of Port Commissioners voted to change the airport’s name again, to “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.

“We are proud to be a central gateway to the Bay Area, and we’re proud to embrace a name that reflects both our local roots and regional reach,” Craig Simon, director of aviation at the Port of Oakland, said in a statement at the time. “‘Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport’ does both, putting Oakland first and highlighting our central location in the Bay Area for all visitors.”

The Port of Oakland then appealed Hixton’s November order blocking the name “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, telling a panel of Ninth Circuit judges that it does not infringe the city of San Francisco’s trademark.

“The purpose of saying San Francisco Bay before Oakland is to describe where the airport is located,” Timothy Berg of Fennemore Craig, an attorney for the Port of Oakland, said.

In November, San Francisco filed a motion for leave to file an amended complaint to add claims against Oakland’s most recent name change, arguing “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport” is trademark infringement and is likely to confuse travelers.

A month later, the parties notified the court that they had reached non-binding settlement terms and were working on the details for a final agreement.

As part of the agreement, San Francisco has agreed to dismiss its lawsuit against the Port of Oakland, and the port will dismiss its counterclaim and appeal.

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