The New York Knicks have issued a cease and desist letter to Aber Kawas, a candidate for a Queens state Senate seat, over her campaign's use of a modified Knicks logo on stickers and social media posts. The letter, sent by Brian N. Warner, senior vice president and head of legal for Madison Square Garden Sports, asserts that the campaign's actions constitute trademark infringement, trademark dilution, false advertising, false association, and unfair competition.
According to the New York Post, the letter stated that neither the Knicks nor NBA Properties authorized the campaign to use Knicks Intellectual Property in any way that could mislead the public into believing an affiliation existed. Kawas, a Palestinian-American activist who received backing from Zohran Mamdani, secured the Democratic nomination for the Queens state Senate seat on Tuesday.
Kawas' campaign featured stickers with an orange-and-blue logo that closely resembled the Knicks' branding, substituting "Kawas" for "Knicks." She promoted these stickers on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the Knicks won the NBA championship, encouraging voters to "claim your 'I Voted for Aber Kawas' champion sticker" and to "make your friends jealous."
This action follows a similar incident last October when Mamdani himself used a logo stunt during his mayoral launch. Mamdani reportedly pulled his advertisement after receiving an identical warning from the team.
Kawas has previously drawn criticism for past remarks concerning the September 11, 2001, attacks. In a 2017 appearance, she described the attacks as a tragedy caused by "white supremacy," Islamophobia, capitalism, and racism, linking them to a historical trajectory of colonization and resource extraction. She also stated, "The idea that we have to apologize for a terror attack that a couple people did and then there is no apology for genocides or slavery is something that I find reprehensible."
The dispute over intellectual property and campaign tactics occurs amid a reported tense feud between Knicks owner James Dolan and Mamdani's administration concerning security measures outside Madison Square Garden.