October 3, 2000 – Yes, it's true. American Recordings group System of a Down ran into a bit of trouble recently. In August, they received a threat of legal action by attorneys representing Michael Buffer, he of WWF and David Letterman fame. Apparently, at the Jul iy 4th Baltimore stop on the Summer Sanitarium tour, System of a Down's guitarist, Daron Malakian, shouted to the crowd, "Let's get ready to rumble!" as annnocent prelude to the show's encore, the band's hit single, "Sugar." The dastardly deed was caught on tape by an MTV camera crew, was broadcast on the channel in late July, and seen by an unknown source close to Buffer. Who turned System in.

According to Buffer's legal team, System of a Down – or ANYONE, for that matter – is not allowed to publicly utter that copyrighted phrase without prior consent from Buffer. Failing to adhere can result in the filing of a claim against the perpetrator. Which is what Buffer instructed his attorneys to do. Whoa...

I'm very flattered," commented Malakian, "that Michael Buffer thinks I do his 'Let's Get Ready to Rumble' line so well that he has to stop me from saying it."

System of a Down is in solid company when it comes to having loose lips with "Let's Get Ready to Rumble." Iran-Contra scandal principal/radio talk show host Oliver North and radio shock jock Don Imus have also had their hands slapped for unauthorized public use of the registered phrase.

Is there a happy ending here? Indeed. The members of System of a Down have learned their lesson, and pass it along to all public figures. Not only will the group never publicly utter "Let's get ready to rumble," but they've also sworn off "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," "I'll be back," "Go ahead, make my day," and "Yeah, baby!" just in case someone has claimed the legal rights to them.