Surf City, USA

The title "Surf City, USA" was the subject of a trademark dispute between the California coastal cities of Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz. Both cities historically claimed the "Surf City" moniker, but the dispute intensified in 2004 after the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau successfully filed the "Surf City USA" trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A settlement was eventually reached in January 2008, which allows Huntington Beach to retain the trademark.

The cities of Huntington Beach and Santa Cruz both claim to be "Surf City", based on their respective surfing culture. Santa Cruz was the site of first recorded surfing in California, by Hawaiians. It is also home to the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, 11 world-class surf breaks such as Steamer Lane which create some of the best surfing waves in the world, and the site of the O'Neill Cold Water Classic and other international surfing contests. Meanwhile, Huntington Beach is the home of the U.S. Open of Surfing and the International Surfing Museum. In addition, the rock and roll duo Jan and Dean had Huntington Beach, not Santa Cruz, in mind when they recorded their 1960s song "Surf City".

Santa Cruz began using the "Surf City" nickname in 1927 after a local newspaper coined the moniker. Huntington Beach officially adopted the "Surf City USA" nickname in 1991.

The Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau filed several applications to register the "Surf City USA" trademark in November 2004. The idea was to market the city by creating an authentic brand based on Southern California's beach culture and active outdoor lifestyle while at the same time creating a family of product licensees who operate like a franchise family producing a revenue stream that could also be dedicated to promoting the brand and city. A ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, released on May 12, 2006, awarded the first three trademark registrations to the Bureau.

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