The problem is that if I were 37 Signals, I would not respond on their blog as that would give you what you want: attention to your blog and your product. If you seriously expected that, you were mistaken.

And now the real problem is that you have tarnished your own credibility as 37 Signals has actually shown the facts of the case. If you had simply asked them before going public, you could have avoided that and might have even found a real culprit after some detective work.

I don't agree with troll marketing. 37 Signals hurt their own reputation with the blog post about Mint just as you are hurting your own. They were roundly thumped for that as well.

And yes, I do have some kinds of relationships with 37 Signals, Mint, and TypePad. However, no relationship in the world will distract from this fundamental idea: if you're going to accuse someone publicly, you should get your facts straight first.