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Update:
AT&T sues Verizon over map commercials.
The gloves have come off. On Monday, in a Georgia district court, Verizon fired back at AT&T for their claims that the "map for that" commercials were misleading. Below is part of the introduction to the response filed by Verizon, the entire document is here.
"AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon’s “There’s A Map For That” advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon’s ads are true and the truth hurts. For well over a year, the battle lines in wireless communications have been drawn around the “3G” (third generation) wireless data capabilities of each carrier, as measured by coverage, speed, and reliability," Verizon's lawyers wrote.
"In recent years wireless carriers have upgraded their first and second-generation networks (capable of transmitting voice calls and limited data services) to 3G, enabling far higher transmission speed and therefore a far broader range of data products and services, such as faster music and video downloads, high-resolution games, and other software applications."
"Verizon Wireless has invested billions of dollars since 2004 upgrading nearly its entire network across the continental United States and Hawaii to 3G, and today covers five times more of the United States than AT&T’s 3G network. Despite the far smaller size of its 3G network, AT&T has spent tens of millions of dollars making its 3G network, which it dubs the “Nation’s Fastest 3G Network,” the centerpiece of its national advertising since at least the summer of 2008."
"AT&T now is attempting to silence Verizon’s ads that include maps graphically depicting the geographic reach of AT&T’s 3G network as compared to Verizon’s own 3G network because AT&T does not like the truthful picture painted by that comparison..."
"In the final analysis, AT&T seeks emergency relief because Verizon’s sideby- side, apples-to-apples comparison of its own 3G coverage with AT&T’s confirms what the marketplace has been saying for months: AT&T failed to invest adequately in the necessary infrastructure to expand its 3G coverage to support its growth in smartphone business, and the usefulness of its service to smartphone users has suffered accordingly. AT&T may not like the message that the ads send, but this Court should reject its efforts to silence the messenger."
Original Article:
AT&T is apparently unhappy with the Verizon commercials offering “a map for that” when it comes to the reasoning behind alleged network coverage issues. So unhappy, they are asking for temporary restraining order blocking the ads. If you haven’t seen them, both commercials are below in high quality.
AT&T has heard complaints about network coverage before. Even iPhone users complain that the network performance is poor at times. However, it appears that the Verizon commercials offering “a map for that” were just too much. While there was speculation that AT&T would sue over the ads, which first appeared in early October, no one thought that such speculation had any weight. However, sue they did, but not over the commercials themselves, AT&T sued over the maps in the commercials.
On Tuesday, AT&T filed a lawsuit in Atlanta federal court, seeking a restraining order that “…prohibits Verizon from displaying, in the “Bench” advertisement, or any other advertisement, a map of AT&T’s “3G” coverage in which AT&T’s non-“3G” coverage areas are depicted by white or blank space.”
The Bench ad mentioned in the court documents appears to be the second video below, where the woman is sitting on the park bench waiting for friends.
AT&T contends that the white and blank spaces seen on the maps in the Verizon commercials communicate the message that, “…customers with AT&T service are not able to use their wireless devices, at all, in various parts of the United States.”
“Verizon’s advertisements also depict AT&T customers as frustrated or sad and unable to meet their friends as the map showing swaths of white or blank space hovers over the fictional AT&T customer’s head, reinforcing the misleading message conveyed by the maps; that AT&T has no coverage and thus AT&T customers cannot use their wireless devices in large portions of the United States.”
According to the court documents, AT&T tried to get Verizon to change the ads, but the modifications made did little to prevent people from equating the white spaces with zero coverage. Thus, “Verizon has stepped over the line of legitimate comparative advertising.” AT&T said that because of the ads they are “…losing incalculable market share, invaluable goodwill that it has spent billions of dollars to develop among consumers, and the significant investment it has made in its wireless network.”
In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Verizon told Reuters that the suit was without merit, and that the ads “clearly state” that voice and data services are available outside 3G coverage areas.
The Tech Herald has emailed Verizon for additional comments, when they respond we’ll update this story.
If you want to view the court documents, The Wall Street Journal has them online here.
Commercial A
Commercial B
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