The phrase “shock and awe” was coined by military strategist Harlan Ullman in a 1996 publication. He used it to describe a tactic of pressuring the enemy to give up with little fighting. Coined, but apparently not trademarked. Oops.

A day after U.S. allied forces marched into Iraq, Sony applied for a trademark on “shock and awe” for use as the title of a video game, according to a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Sony has since backed down, describing the move to capitalize on the catchword as “an exercise of regrettable bad judgment.”

But Sony was not the only company hoping to profit from the phrase. The U.S. Patent and Trademark office has more than a dozen recent applications for its uses, including for fireworks, lingerie, baby toys, shampoo and consulting services.

My favorite is from Michael Knight of Irving, Texas, who has applied for a “Shock & Awe” trademark on pesticides and herbicides.