Oakland airport fires back at SFO
Oakland airport (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland airport is firing back at SFO.
Rather, the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (the newly named Oakland airport) is contesting San Francisco International Airport's request to make them stop using such a similar name.
The Port of Oakland, which owns and operates the airport, on Tuesday filed its opposition papers responding to SFO's motion for a preliminary injunction that seeks to prevent OAK from using its new name, formally approved in May.
Port attorney Mary Richardson argues that passengers are not confused in choosing which airport to fly into and out of despite their similar names, and that SFO does not own the trademark rights to its name.
She noted that it is undisputed that Oakland's airport is located on the shores of the San Francisco Bay and that SFO is actually located along the San Francisco Bay in San Mateo County.
The port's response also included declarations from both Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines, which describe how their customers search for— and book —flights "in a commercial marketplace that is actually devoid of confusion."
Richardson also argued that SFO used a flawed consumer survey with "manipulated results."
"SFO continues to manufacture confusion under the cloak of its legal filings," Port of Oakland Director of Aviation Craig Simon said in a statement. "Their tactics create an anti-competitive environment that does a disservice to all travelers coming to the Bay Area."
Last month, San Francisco asked a judge to make Oakland stop using its new name immediately.
As San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu sees it, SFO began operating in 1927, and has used the name "San Francisco Airport" or "San Francisco International Airport" throughout most of its history.
San Francisco also has owned the U.S. federal trademark registrations for the marks "San Francisco International Airport" since 2012, Chiu said, with the first date of use in 1954, and the assigned airport code "SFO" together with SFO's logo since 2007.
A federal judge is scheduled to consider OAK’s and SFO’s arguments on the preliminary injunction motion on Nov. 7.