BNSF Railway Sues Airline Startup Over ‘Northern Pacific’ Brand

BNSF Railway Co., which operates one of the country’s largest railroad networks, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against an airline startup seeking to connect passengers between East Asian and the US through Anchorage, Alaska, under the brand Northern Pacific Airways.

The complaint claimed that BNSF has invested millions of dollars in advertising rail services under its century-old “Northern Pacific” brand, and the airline must stop its attempt to register that trademark.

The airline company, Float Alaska IP LLC, in September filed a petition before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, arguing that BNSF has abandoned its rights to the trademark ...