Oakland, Calif. – Sept. 17, 2024: The recent injunctive relief request by the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is a continuation of tactics rooted in publicity and anti-competitive bullying rather than on legal merits. The Port of Oakland, which owns and operates OAK, filed a counterclaim against SFO and has not yet received a response. In fact, at SFO’s request, OAK had agreed to extensions for SFO to respond to OAK’s claims. Unfortunately, it appears that SFO sought to manufacture confusion under the cloak of legal filings and try to erase OAK from the map.
OAK sits on the San Francisco Bay. Earlier this year, the Board of Port Commissioners approved a name change to include this geographic reference in the airport’s name, while maintaining the OAK airport code, distinct branding, and the “I Fly OAK” logo. This is not and has never been about SFO or confusion. It’s about bringing awareness to travelers about the choices they have when traveling to and from the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.
It’s unfortunate that the SF City Attorney’s Office filed suit prematurely and continues to focus its efforts on litigation. The fact that SFO waited more than four months after the official name change to file this injunctive relief request shows a complete lack of urgency about any alleged harm. It is simply the latest example of the City Attorney attempting to sow confusion instead of responding to the merits of our Board’s action to rightly associate our Airport with the San Francisco Bay, which cannot be trademarked.
Let’s be clear – this lawsuit, which now includes a request aimed at immediately stopping OAK from rightly using its location on the San Francisco Bay in its name – is not an attempt by SFO to prevent confusion. Instead, it’s nothing more than an attempt to stifle competition and travel choices by Bay Area residents and position SFO as the only airport that serves the San Francisco Bay Area. It is not, and OAK will continue to aggressively fight for its position on the San Francisco Bay. Bay Area residents and visitors alike will have better flying choices when there is widespread industry and consumer recognition that OAK is located on the San Francisco Bay and serves the Bay Area region too.