The New York Times/Wall Street Journal sniping continues. A day after the Times sent the Journal a cease-and-desist letter over its use of a Times slogan, the Journal has responded with a letter that seems to find the Times' complaint an overreaction.

“We half-expected to hear from you,” the letter from Journal marketing vice president Jennifer Jehn to Richard Samson of the Times legal department said. “The other half thought you might have more important things to worry about.”

Jehn gets even snipier, noting: “We think we've made our point. And to get a rise out of you is just a special bonus.”

The letters, of course, follow the Journal's recent launch of a New York edition. Do not expect this tit-for-tat to end anytime soon.

And you thought the Daily News and New York Post were the best newspaper battlers in
New York.

See the entire Journal response below:

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Dear Mr. Samson:

We half-expected to hear from you. The other half thought you might have more important things to worry about.

When we saw the “catchy” phrase, we couldn't help but think you were referring to the launch of our Greater New York section - the whole point of which is to cover New York beyond Wall Street.

After all, did you not have us in mind when you conceived the ad?

I won't belabor your legal claim. Our lawyers tell us that we were within our rights to use the tag line to compare our two offerings.

And are you seriously suggesting New Yorkers might be confused into thinking you were affiliated with or endorsing our New York section? We are not holding our breath for that to happen.

But don't be too concerned. We never intended to run the ad for long.

We think we've made our point. And to get a rise out of you is just a special bonus.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Jehn