Private industry funding state AG's (or, "Get Google!)

There is a first amendment right to petition the government for redress of grievances. But at what point might it cross the line for private industry to fund state AG's for the purpose of attacking competitors? The recent leak of emails from Sony raises the issue because we have a clearer picture of how the MPAA is aggressively and systematically urging state AG's to go after Google and is "seeding" stories with the media to buttress the investigations. Stories at Tech Dirt, The Verge, and related story at New York Times.