UH fumbles
‘rumble’ ads

The baseball commercials
are changed because of a problem
with trademark infringement

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

University of Hawaii officials did not receive permission from Buffer Enterprises to use boxing announcer Michael Buffer's trademark phrase, "Let's get ready to rumble."

As a result, the two-week-old ad showing Rainbows baseball coach Les Murakami using that phrase as part of a promotion for season-ticket sales had to be changed.

"Coach Les wasn't in town, but we were able to change the ad to, 'Let's get ready to rock,' instead of rumble," UH marketing director Scott Harada said yesterday.

"Bruce Buffer (Michael's brother) contacted (UH athletic director) Hugh (Yoshida) last week and basically told him to stop the advertising spots. They also said they were interested in building a relationship with UH.

"We asked if we could replace 'rumble' with 'rock' and they said it was close, but said it was OK. We thought the phrase was part of public domain and it wasn't a big deal. But we were wrong."

Aloha Bowl chief operating officer Lenny Klompus also is using the phrase in his ads for the upcoming Christmas Day game between the University of Washington and Michigan State.

But unlike UH, Klompus called Buffer Enterprises three months ago to set up the contract.

"We received permission to not only use the phrase for our print ads, but the video image of him saying it for our television ads," Klompus said, who declined to say how much he's paying Buffer for the advertisements.

Harada said had UH known the phrase was a registered trademark, they wouldn't have had Murakami say it in the 30-second ad.

"It was unintentional," Harada said.