Traffic-Power.com is suing Aaron Wall, host of the blog SEOBook.com, for defamation and the disclosure of company trade secrets.

The charge comes after comments were posted to his blog criticizing Traffic-Power.com. The Federal Decency Act protects those whose websites or services are used by others. But this case may fall outside the Decency Act, as classified company information was reportedly disclosed.

Whatever the ruling, the case is being closely watched. It is among the first lawsuits of this nature in the blogosphere.

Steve Rubel, VP, client services, CooperKatz and Co., notes, "Right now the world of consumer-created media is a bit like the Wild West. Anything goes. Eventually, as cases are decided (in either direction) and clear precedents are set, online marketers and their legal teams will be in a better position to assess their potential downside risk in jumping into the blogosphere -- if any."