Verizon Informs AT&T 'The Truth Hurts'

In an unusual court filing , Verizon responded to AT&T's claims that the campaign is misleading. Instead of using the typically bland legal terminology and sanitized language, Verizon's filing injects a bit of humor and emotion.

"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," the filing reads. "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 filing, Verizon contends that AT&T "admits that the 3G coverage mapsare accurate and that the ads' express statement that Verizon has "5X More 3G Coverage" than AT&T is true."

The 53-page brief continues: "In the final analysis, AT&T seeks emergency relief because Verizon's side-by-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."

AT&T sued Verizon earlier this month after Verizon's catchy "There's A Map For That" TV and radio spots, which parody Apple's "There's An App For That" campaign, began running nationwide. In addition to the lawsuit, AT&T published an open letter to customers titled "AT&T Sets the Record Straight on Verizon Ads."