Massucci's Take: AT&T's lawsuit against Verizon draws attention to its own flaws

AT&T (T) is suing Verizon Wireless for misleading advertising. But its actions could do the company more harm than good. The reason for the lawsuit: Verizon (VZ) has been mocking Apple's (AAPL) iPhone "There's an App for That" ads. Verizon TV ads show off a coverage map depicting its larger, third-generation (3G) wireless coverage next to AT&T's smaller 3G coverage map. In its advertisements Verizon quips: "There's a Map for That."

That may irk AT&T, but the company does not dispute Verizon's larger 3G coverage. But it is suing Verizon for highlighting its spotty coverage in a misleading manner. In Verizon's ads, the maps display blank space in AT&T's coverage area. The intent, according to Verizon, is to show where AT&T lacks 3G coverage. But AT&T claims the ads imply that AT&T provides no coverage at all in those areas.