What's in the name
of a sandwich?

Subway has filed a lawsuit against competitor Quiznos and Viacom-owned website iFilm. The dispute is over the submissions of a user-generated contest Quiznos ran, which iFilm helped host.

Subway says many of the videos depict its brand in a negative manner.

The New York Times, which reported the lawsuit and posted one of the offending entries, mused, "Quiznos did not make the insulting submissions, so should it be held liable for user-generated content created at its behest?"

How this question is answered in court will generate quick response from advertisers that create and promote user-generated contests, which are perceived as inexpensive ways to build online brand discussions.

The din of advertiser-backed campaigns may soon hush anyway, as executives anticipate a judgment on the Subway/Quiznos case in court.

The Subway and Quiznos dispute also cites spots produced by Quiznos, depicting people choosing its sandwiches over comparative Subway offerings.