The Carleton Free Press published its first edition in Woodstock, N.B., Tuesday despite a court battle between its publisher Ken Langdon and Irving-owned Brunswick News.

"It's a great day," said Langdon. "It's a great day for my staff, it's a great day for me and it's a great day for Carleton County."

The first issue of the newspaper received strong support from local advertisers, despite Brunswick News's efforts to get a court injunction that would prevent Langdon from contacting 15 key local advertisers, contractors and correspondents in Carleton County.

"I like it," said Ann Leech, a local resident who picked up a copy of the new publication. "The thing that really surprised me is that there are so many local advertisements in it, and I'm sure if they didn't support it they wouldn't be doing that."

Langdon previously served as publisher of the Brunswick News-owned Woodstock Bugle-Observer but resigned in September.

In his resignation letter, now filed with the courts, Langdon said he had grown disillusioned with Brunswick News management practices and would be joining with business partner Dwight Fraser to launch the Free Press.

Fraser, a wealthy Woodstock businessman who owns 30 Pizza Huts throughout eastern Canada, said he isn't ruling out starting other publications in the province.

"Miramichi Free Press has a nice ring to it," Fraser said. "We'll see what happens. We'll see how this one goes, but I think we have a viable product and we'll give it all the support we can and we'll see what happens from there."

Fraser said Brunswick News's current lawsuit against Langdon has nothing to do with the newspaper.

"It doesn't affect our paper," he said. "They're having issues with Ken Langdon."

Brunswick News lawyer Stephen Hutchison said the lawsuit against Langdon is not about competition in the newspaper business.

According to Brunswick News court documents, Langdon took hundreds of files from the Bugle-Observer, including budgets, advertising and personnel information.

The documents were so extensive, they formed a complete guide to start a competing paper, Hutchison told the Court of Queen's Bench in Saint John.

Langdon's lawyer Pete Mockler argued most of the information was material a newspaper publisher would be expected to have: reports on high school graduations, boat races and carnivals.

"Are these the weapons of mass destruction for the Irving interests?" Mockler asked. "This kind of information is going to put this company out of business?"

Brunswick News's request for restrictions on the newspaper are self-serving and anti-competitive, Mockler said.

"It is essential as you well know that the newspaper business be as free and open as possible, and I don't think that's very likely to happen in a society in which 85 or 90 per cent of all public newspapers are owned and concentrated in the hands of one organization."

Judge Peter Glennie has reserved his decision on the injunction request until Friday.

A trial date for the lawsuit has not yet been set. It will be held in Woodstock.