San Francisco accused of ‘bullying’ over lawsuit to stop Oakland airport’s ‘confusing’ name change: ‘Stay away from our brand’

Fog-geddaboutit!

San Francisco has been accused of “bullying” after hitting Oakland in the face with a trademark lawsuit – sternly warning the rival to “stay away” from its brand.

The brouhaha by the Bay began after the prison Gertrude Stein once described as having “no there” renamed its airport (OAK) – formerly known as Metropolitan Oakland International – to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.

The move was designed to better inform travelers about the airport’s location, Port of Oakland officials said.

“The convenience and ease of travel through KAO will not change under our name,” the port’s Interim Director of Aviation Craig Simon assured reporters earlier this year.

“OAK is the closest major airport to 58 percent of the Bay Area population. The combined population of the counties closest to OAC is 4.1 million compared to 1.5 million in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. This designation will let the world know who we serve,” explained Simon.

But critics — starting with neighbors across the bridge — were less than impressed.

Now, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is calling for a ground stop against the Port, accusing them of “deliberately and knowingly exploiting the confusion,” CNN Travel reported.

“We are already seeing commuter confusion around the use of Oakland’s new name. This was entirely predictable and preventable,” Chiu said in a statement to the media.

“San Francisco has invested millions to make San Francisco International Airport the world-class airport it is today. We have built an incredible brand that we must protect. Oakland has a trademark for Oakland International Airport. She should use it and stay away from the San Francisco brand,” the city’s legal honcho said.

Port representatives were quick to play down the claims.

“The latest request for injunctive relief by the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is a continuation of tactics rooted in publicity and anti-competitive harassment rather than legal merit,” Port attorney Mary Richardson responded in a statement.

“The Port of Oakland, which owns and operates OAK, has filed a counterclaim against the SFO and has yet to hear back. In fact, at the SFO’s request, the KCA had agreed to an extension of time for the SFO to respond to the KCA’s claims.

“Unfortunately, it appears that the SFO sought to create confusion under the guise of legal filings and attempt to wipe the KCA off the map,” Richardson claimed.

The municipal maneuver comes as crime-plagued Oakland has recently been left reeling after losing three major league sports franchises.

The Athletics played their final game at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday before a controversial move to Las Vegas.

The Raiders left for Sin City in 2020. The Golden State Warriors moved to San Francisco in 2019.

The A’s last game against the Texas Rangers featured chants of “Sell the team!” to owner John Fisher and fans throwing smoke bombs onto the field,” The Post reported.