Huntington Beach, Calif., is taking its rivalry with Santa Cruz, Calif., over the title of “Surf City, USA” out of the ocean and into the hands of lawyers, trademarking the name and chasing down businesses that infringe on it.
Huntington Beach, a Southern California town that boasts a surfing museum and a hall of fame, announced in May that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had awarded it exclusive use of the title. Now it is enforcing its rights, sending cease-and-desist letters to anyone wading into its waters.
