AT&T Airs Weak 'Comeback' Commercial Against VerizonAT&T Airs Weak 'Comeback' Commercial Against Verizon

Though the current feud between AT&T and Verizon Wireless borders on the ridiculous, it isn't stopping either company from continuing the schoolyard brawl. AT&T was dealt a blow in court today and came out swinging in response. Its own "attack ad" -- if you can call it that -- misses the mark.Today an Atlanta judge denied AT&T's request for a temporary restraining order against Verizon Wireless. AT&T was hoping to silence (or at least alter) the vicious ads airing on national television which poke holes (literally) into AT&T's 3G coverage.

The judge, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Batten Sr., sided with Verizon Wireless, and said that the ads may lead to some people misunderstanding the situation, "but that doesn't mean they're misleading." Batten also said that TV audiences aren't necessarily paying attention, anyway. "Most people who are watching TV are semi-catatonic. They're not fully alive," he joked.

Round 1 goes to Verizon Wireless in the Ad Wars.

AT&T hoped to exact some measure of revenge today by airing a snarky commercial of its own. The only problem is, the commercial falls a bit flat and feels as though it was patched together this afternoon. The commercial shows movie star Luke Wilson, who uses a magnetic board to compare AT&T's 3G network to Verizon's.

The points in the commercial are exactly those that AT&T noted in its public letter, published last week: AT&T's 3G network is the fastest; it allows users to surf and talk at the same time; it offers the best selection of smartphones; and it has over 100,000 apps for customers to download. Funny thing is, Verizon pointed out a lot of these claims as being relevant points to address with its own ads.

If you think the silly, schoolyard behavior is over, think again.

Here's the ad in full: