Publishers of Catch 22 sue the English speaking world for trademark infringement:

Lawyers for Simon & Schuster, the original publishers of the Joseph Heller novel Catch 22, have filed simultaneous lawsuits in the 79 english speaking countries across the globe to try and stop the use of the phrase "Catch 22" in any form of media.

"It was quite flattering to the both the author and those of us involved in the novel that the phrase became a buzz word for absurd or awkward decisions. But now, we hear people using it out of context with some completely unaware where the phrase came from!"

Though unconfirmed, many believe this move was sparked by George Bush's recent speech regarding Iraq when he referred to the situation as a 'Catch 22'. The political editor for the BBC explained:

"It was obvious, at least to us at the BBC, that George Bush had never read the novel otherwise he would not have used the phrase to describe the war in Iraq."

The lawsuit does request compensation from several named media corporations in the amount of $1million each (about £500,000) for the use of the novel's title without referencing the novel itself, though lawyers state that money is not the main aim:

"As long as we get a ruling that anyone involved in the media is not allowed to use the title of a novel they have never read as a buzz word, then we will feel that we have succeeded."