Overview
- The Knicks sent a cease-and-desist letter Friday that demands Kawas’s campaign immediately remove promotional materials that replicate the team’s orange-and-blue logo and basketball motif.
- The letter, signed by Brian N. Warner of Madison Square Garden Sports, cites trademark infringement, dilution, false association, false advertising, and unfair competition.
- Kawas used a modified “I Voted for Aber Kawas” design on social media and on stickers that reporters say copy the Knicks’ font, colors and basketball graphic.
- The campaign had not issued a public response at the time of reporting and an MSG spokesperson said the letter speaks for itself.
- The move follows a prior dispute when Mayor Zohran Mamdani pulled a similar Knicks-style ad after a cease-and-desist and signals that sports franchises will enforce team marks against political use, which could lead to further legal action or campaign redesigns ahead of November.