Copies of the Irish Mail on Sunday went on sale today with a similiar masthead and front page to the Sunday Tribune. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

Today’s newspaper is usually tomorrow’s chip wrappers, but this weekend’s edition of the Irish Mail on Sunday may last considerably longer.

The troubled Sunday Tribune newspaper went into receivership last week and announced that it would not be publishing an edition for four weeks while a purchaser is being sought. A competitor newspaper, the Irish Mail on Sunday, launched a surprise "marketing exercise" yesterday in which some copies of its newspaper were sold in a 'wraparound' which bore a Sunday Tribune masthead. This has resulted in widespread controversy, with coverage on the national broadcaster RTE, in the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner and the Guardian newspapers and throughout the blogosphere.

The fallout could be considerable. The National Consumer Agency in Ireland is considering a prosecution for a breach of the Consumer Protection Act 2007 and according to its editor, the Sunday Tribune is pursuing legal action for breach of copyright under the direction of the receiver. No prizes for guessing that a few more causes of action might be thrown in for good measure.

'Read all about it' here.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/07/irish-mail-on-sunday-sunday-tribune-masthead