Capital Briefs: NextCard Sues Providian Over On-Line Ad

NextCard Inc. said it has filed suit against Providian Financial Corp., accusing it of copying one of its on-line banner advertisements.

The suit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, claims Providian was trying to mislead on-line consumers into clicking on its own Web site, rather than NextCard's site.

NextCard's Internet Visa was launched in December 1997. Providian, one of the top 10 credit card issuers, unveiled its on-line strategy last February, and has since then launched a separate Internet brand called Aria, which has its own Web site.

James Rowe, senior vice president of electronic commerce at Providian, said the banner ad ran for only one week. The suit is "without merit," he said.