No ’shock and awe’ for Sony

Sony Corp said on Wednesday it will not use the phrase

Responding to criticism that it was trying to take advantage of the Iraq war for commercial gain, Sony Corp said on Wednesday it will not use the phrase “shock and awe” for PlayStation videogames made by a subsidiary.

A U.S. unit of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc has withdrawn an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register the phrase for commercial use, a Sony spokeswoman said.

The application had been made last month shortly after U.S.-led forces began an attack on Iraq with a strategy of heavy aerial bombardment termed “shock and awe.”

“We have withdrawn the application which was made on March 21,” the Sony spokeswoman said.

While there had been no specific plans to use the phrase for a title of PlayStation software, the electronic giant now felt the application was inappropriate, she said.

The original news story was posted April 10th in our Electronic Gaming section.