Judge orders airport to stop using major city in its name

A legal battle has come to a temporary halt in a feud between the cities of San Francisco and Oakland in California over the naming of an airport.

In April, Oakland officials voted in favor of changing the name of the city's airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, the Associated Press (AP) reported. 

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The city and county of San Francisco had filed a motion in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleging trademark infringement. 

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Oakland violated San Francisco's trademark and must immediately stop using the name "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport," according to court documents.

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"In the United States the name of a city is normally in the name of an airport only if the city owns or partially owns that airport, the new name for the Oakland airport strongly implies affiliation with San Francisco and the San Francisco International Airport [SFO]," the order stated.

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The Oakland International Airport (OAK) is roughly 30 miles from SFO. 

In the order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson acknowledged that the name switch may cause uncertainty among people, writing "The public interest is best served by not confusing customers." 

The judge also said that San Francisco spent millions to develop its brand, the AP wrote, adding, "The judge also ordered Oakland's airport to remove any signs with the new name."

San Francisco International Airport is one of the top 12 busiest airports, welcoming "more than twice" the number of travelers than airports in Oakland and San Jose combined.

A spokesperson for the Port of Oakland told Reuters the port is "continuing to review the recent ruling and considering all available options."

The spokesperson also said officials are considering appealing the ruling.

Fox News Digital reached out to the cities of San Francisco and Oakland for comment.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.