Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport reaches settlement with SFO in naming dispute
By Tim Fang
Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport will be allowed to keep its current name, ending a years-long naming dispute involving OAK and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Officials in both cities announced Tuesday that a settlement has been reached and both parties will drop their respective lawsuits.
“When more visitors come to the Bay Area, our entire region benefits. San Francisco cares deeply about the success of all of our Bay Area airports and tourist destinations,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement. “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.”
In April 2024, the Port of Oakland renamed OAK to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport”. At the time, the airport said the change was prompted by a lack of “geographic awareness” among out-of-town visitors about where Oakland is located and to boost airport traffic.
Following the port’s decision, officials in San Francisco filed a lawsuit alleging the name infringed on the trademark held by San Francisco International Airport. A federal district court judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Port of Oakland, which led the port to appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Soon after, the Port of Oakland renamed the airport again to the current “Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.” At the time, San Francisco officials raised objections to the second renaming.
Under the settlement agreement, Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport must ensure that “San Francisco” does not appear more prominent than “Oakland” in displays or marketing materials. Oakland is allowed to use “San Francisco” or “San Francisco Bay” when referring to a geographic location, for example “the airport is convenient to San Francisco.”
The airport in the East Bay will retain OAK as its International Air Transport Association (IATA) code and has agreed not to change to one with “SF” in the name.
