[JURIST] The Washington state Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over a long-running dispute between the two major daily newspapers in Seattle over which will control the market. The dispute between the Seattle Times Co. and the Hearst Corp., which owns the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, centers on a joint-operating agreement between the two under which the Seattle Times Co. prints, distributes and markets both papers. This spring, a state appeals court unanimously ruled that the Seattle Times had reported sufficient losses between 2000 and 2003 to trigger an escape clause that allows the company to end the agreement or shutdown the Post-Intelligencer. Either way, Hearst has said it will close the paper. The supreme court will likely hear the case in February or March. A statement is available from Hearst Corp., as well as the Seattle Times Co. The Seattle Times has more.