Move Deals A Blow To Campaign To Promote Business Use Of GA Planes

ANN April 1st Special Edition: Cessna's "Rise" campaign hit a snag Thursday when the company was sued in U.S. District Court in New York seeking an injunction to stop use of the slogan "Rise." Few details were available on the suit, which was sealed due to its "sensitive nature," according to one courthouse official who was not authorized to speak on the matter and wished to remain anonymous.

The widely praised Rise campaign, announced in February 2009, was designed to address misinformation on the business use of general aviation aircraft and to provide a more accurate picture of the value of business aircraft as a resource that makes companies more competitive. The campaign had been warmly received by the general aviation industry, which felt that it had been unfairly singled out by Congress and the President.

The name of plaintiff in the lawsuit was also sealed, but rumored to be a large pharmaceutical manufacturing company. John Ehrlichman III, who filed the suit on behalf of the plaintiff, refused to comment other than to say that his client asked the court to seal the case to not bring undue attention "to the embarrassing situation" created by Cessna's campaign. When asked if the plaintiff manufactures a popular little blue pill, he responded "No comment."

FMI: www.cessna.com