Victory

Knucklehead winner Warren Kremer Paino Advertising, L.L.C. has dropped its lawsuit against blogger Lance Dutson.

Moments ago, lawyers for the advertising agency suing MBA Member Lance Dutson filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal in U.S. District Court in Maine. The notice reads simply: “Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1), Plaintiff Warren Kremer Paino Advertising, L.L.C. hereby dismisses the above-captioned action without prejudice.”

The decision to withdraw the lawsuit comes on the heels of a withering media campaign orchestrated by the Media Bloggers Association on behalf of MBA Member Lance Dutson. Hundreds of bloggers responded to the MBA’s call to arms and were joined by media outlets around the world in highlighting the heavy-handed tactics of the state contractor.

“As it should be, the story of ‘Warren Kremer Paino and the Maine Blogger’ is now a cautionary tale”, said MBA President Robert Cox, “future potential plaintiffs would do well to consider WKP’s experience in attempting to silence a blog critic through the Federal courts. Our message is simple: ‘Don’t Mess with the Bloggers’”

Congratulations Lance, I'm sure you're sleeping better now.

I wonder if this bit of news was the last straw for WKPA.

In what can only be hailed as a major step forward in the efforts of the Media Bloggers Association to defend MBA Member Lance Dutson, State Rep Stephen Bowen (R-Rockport) called today for a full investigation into the management of both the Maine Office of Tourism (MOT) and the contractors it hires to produce tourism materials for the state. In addition, in a letter to state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Jack Cashman, Rep. Bowen called for the Maine Office of Tourism to suspend its contract with WKP, pending the results of the lawsuit.

The real reason the suit may have been dropped is because of the bad publicity this suit brought onto WKPA. There is some proof for this belief.

Tom McCartin, president of WKPA, is most concerned about Mr. Dutson's public posts because if potential clients search for the agency online, they will likely see Mr. Dutson's critique-filled blog before the agency's own Web site. As a result, Mr. McCartin says his business, which sees capitalized billings in the $40 million range, has been hurt. And he wants to protect his reputation.

In order to avoid punish one small blogger, can't you see the irony of the self-inflicted damage this suit did to Mr. McCartin and WKPA. They dodged a bicycle but ran into the path of an 18-wheeler. Warren Kremer Paino Advertising really deserved their knucklehead award.

Open Post- Cao's Blog, Outside the Beltway,