When AT&T sued Verizon Wireless for its “There’s A Map for That” advertising campaign,
AT&T could have brought a dilution claim against Verizon’s use of the slogan, “There’s a map for that,” which is very similar to AT&T’s slogan, “There’s an app for that,” featured in its own iPhone commercials.
In bringing a dilution claim, AT&T could have argued that Verizon’s use of “There’s a map for that” weakened the effect of AT&T’s slogan because consumers would no longer think exclusively of AT&T when hearing the phrase. It seems like AT&T would have had a good argument for dilution, but instead, it sued Verizon for false advertisement under the Lanham Act, federal trademark law.
The ads themselves feature two maps comparing AT&T’s 3G network coverage area to Verizon’s superior 3G coverage area. AT&T asked the court to stop Verizon from running the ads because they could mislead customers into thinking AT&T doesn’t offer any coverage in areas where its 3G network isn’t available. (In reality, customers can still make calls and access the Internet using AT&T’s slower EDGE or GPR networks, even where there isn’t 3G network coverage.) Verizon, on the other hand, argued that the ads simply point out that AT&T hasn’t invested enough in upgrading its network to handle new smartphone activity from the popular Apple iPhone.
In its response to AT&T’s complaint, Verizon wrote: “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.” Verizon also pointed out that the Lanham Act requires AT&T to show actual proof that the ads are misleading consumers because First Amendment free speech is at stake in the suit. Verizon continues:
As to four of the five challenged ads, AT&T has presented no evidence of consumer deception. This alone is a sufficient basis to deny AT&T’s motion as to these ads. As to the one ad . . . AT&T commissioned a consumer survey . . . . But this survey is riddled with errors.
Apparently the court agreed. Judge Timothy C. Batton, a federal judge in Atlanta, declined to grant AT&T a preliminary inunction that would temporarily stop Verizon from running the ads. He stated that he didn’t believe AT&T would succeed in its claim based on the evidence submitted. The judge said:
I think that a person with a skeptical bent of mind might call Verizon’s ads sneaky . . . . I think a more sanguine view is that they are simply clever. Either way, however, they are literally true. And the Court holds that AT&T has failed to carry its burden of showing that they are nevertheless misleading.
Immediately following the court’s ruling, AT&T indicated that it would continue with the suit despite the initial loss, but it has since decided to drop the claim.
Perhaps AT&T realized that after its own expansive advertising campaign touting its network as the “fastest 3G network” (implicitly comparing it to Verizon’s coverage and other secondary competitors’ — such as Sprint and T-Mobile), it isn’t likely to garner much sympathy in its claims against Verizon. The bottom line is that Verizon’s maps of AT&T’s 3G network are accurate. If AT&T wants to say its 3G network is faster than Verizon’s, why shouldn’t Verizon be able to say its own coverage is more expansive than AT&T’s? Maybe AT&T realized that it should stop sinking its money into law suits and instead use it to fill those gaps in its coverage. Federal trademark law is meant to protect against false advertising, but this should promote fair competition, not hinder it. Therefore, Verizon’s ads, if accurate, should encourage AT&T to improve its service. This type of competition, in a free market, will hopefully produce the best quality products at the lowest prices for consumers.