Is it ok to own [city]airport.com

[postscripter]

Can I get into trouble if I owned a domain name of a major city's airport [city]airport.com. The city has only one international airport, but it uses dash for its website: [city]-airport.com

 

[DigiNames]

Yes, you can own them. There can be multiple public and private airports in a city, it is generic.

 

[jberryhill]

Apart from names which had a hotel or car rental brand, etc., these are UDRP dispute outcomes involving domain names with "airport" in them:

Domain	Case	Date	Decision
istanbulsairport.com	WIPO D2022-0400	2022-05-05	Transfer with dissenting opinion
grand-rapids-airport.com	NAF 1982577	2022-03-01	Transferred
dwfairport.com	NAF 1904597	2020-08-15	Transferred
dfw-international-airport.com	NAF 1861554	2019-10-08	Transferred
bradley-airport.com	NAF 1829581	2019-03-26	Claim Denied
istanbulairport.com	WIPO D2019-0062	2019-03-15	Complaint denied
gruairport.com	WIPO D2016-1105	2016-07-22	Transfer
macarthurairport.com	NAF 1339861	2010-10-11	Transferred
sydneyairports.com	WIPO D2005-0989	2005-11-22	Transfer
aberdeenairport.com	WIPO D2004-0717	2004-10-21	Transfer
vancouverinternationalairport.com	NAF 238662	2004-04-14	Transferred
hongkongairport.com	WIPO D2001-1417	2002-03-27	Transfer
stansted-airport.info	WIPO D2001-1358	2002-01-20	Transfer
manchesterairport.com	WIPO D2000-0638	2000-08-24	Complaint denied

The type of name you are talking about is descriptive, not generic. The term "Anytown Airport" is not a generic term for airports. It is a geographically descriptive term for an airport in Anytown.

As with any descriptive term, the answer is going to turn on whether that term has acquired distinctiveness as a mark through longstanding and substantially exclusive use such that the public recognizes it as a mark. In other words, while a descriptive term like "American Airlines" starts out as merely descriptive, one particular airline has been that since 1939, such that people do not perceive "American Airlines" as a class of airlines originating in America. Instead, it is perceived as a distinctive reference to one airline in particular.

This is why your question has no single answer. As much as people like to believe that these things boil down to black-and-white formulas, the world just doesn't operate that way.

So, take something like New York City. If you say "New York City Airport", you might be referring to La Guardia, JFK, or even some of the other regional airports in the greater NYC area. It does not identify a particular airport.

A "Paris airport" could be CDG, Orly, or some other places.

A "Chicago airport" might be O'Hare, Midway, etc., although I think they are shutting Midway down.

So, all three of those would be merely descriptive phrase that refer to airports in those locations.

Now, there are some places which only have one airport, but which call their airport something else. If you are going to the "Orange County Airport" in California, then you would be going to the "John Wayne Airport" since they don't call it the "Orange County Airport".

But, as indicated in the chart above, there are places which only have one airport, have had it for a long time, and everyone knows it as the "(Whatever) Airport". That is the type of situation where you are likely to run into problems.

As a general proposition, this is just a subset of "descriptive phrases" generally. So, there are going to be differences between, say, a "convenient rag" or a "handy wipe", both of which mean more or less the same thing, but one of which is a well-known mark in the US.

 

[postscripter]

Apart from names which had a hotel or car rental brand, etc., these are UDRP dispute outcomes involving domain names with "airport" in them:

Domain	Case	Date	Decision
istanbulsairport.com	WIPO D2022-0400	2022-05-05	Transfer with dissenting opinion
grand-rapids-airport.com	NAF 1982577	2022-03-01	Transferred
dwfairport.com	NAF 1904597	2020-08-15	Transferred
dfw-international-airport.com	NAF 1861554	2019-10-08	Transferred
bradley-airport.com	NAF 1829581	2019-03-26	Claim Denied
istanbulairport.com	WIPO D2019-0062	2019-03-15	Complaint denied
gruairport.com	WIPO D2016-1105	2016-07-22	Transfer
macarthurairport.com	NAF 1339861	2010-10-11	Transferred
sydneyairports.com	WIPO D2005-0989	2005-11-22	Transfer
aberdeenairport.com	WIPO D2004-0717	2004-10-21	Transfer
vancouverinternationalairport.com	NAF 238662	2004-04-14	Transferred
hongkongairport.com	WIPO D2001-1417	2002-03-27	Transfer
stansted-airport.info	WIPO D2001-1358	2002-01-20	Transfer
manchesterairport.com	WIPO D2000-0638	2000-08-24	Complaint denied

The type of name you are talking about is descriptive, not generic. The term "Anytown Airport" is not a generic term for airports. It is a geographically descriptive term for an airport in Anytown.

As with any descriptive term, the answer is going to turn on whether that term has acquired distinctiveness as a mark through longstanding and substantially exclusive use such that the public recognizes it as a mark. In other words, while a descriptive term like "American Airlines" starts out as merely descriptive, one particular airline has been that since 1939, such that people do not perceive "American Airlines" as a class of airlines originating in America. Instead, it is perceived as a distinctive reference to one airline in particular.

This is why your question has no single answer. As much as people like to believe that these things boil down to black-and-white formulas, the world just doesn't operate that way.

So, take something like New York City. If you say "New York City Airport", you might be referring to La Guardia, JFK, or even some of the other regional airports in the greater NYC area. It does not identify a particular airport.

A "Paris airport" could be CDG, Orly, or some other places.

A "Chicago airport" might be O'Hare, Midway, etc., although I think they are shutting Midway down.

So, all three of those would be merely descriptive phrase that refer to airports in those locations.

Now, there are some places which only have one airport, but which call their airport something else. If you are going to the "Orange County Airport" in California, then you would be going to the "John Wayne Airport" since they don't call it the "Orange County Airport".

But, as indicated in the chart above, there are places which only have one airport, have had it for a long time, and everyone knows it as the "(Whatever) Airport". That is the type of situation where you are likely to run into problems.

As a general proposition, this is just a subset of "descriptive phrases" generally. So, there are going to be differences between, say, a "convenient rag" or a "handy wipe", both of which mean more or less the same thing, but one of which is a well-known mark in the US.

that is very informative, highly appreciate your time for the details and examples. Thanks! I think I will let it go.