The American basketball team New York Knicks threatened to take legal action against the Democratic candidate for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, after the politician used the institution’s logo at an election event last Wednesday (22), according to local press.
New York team representatives sent a letter to Mamdani asking him to stop using the Knicks’ image.
According to the New York Times, these representatives believed that the politician, by using the team’s image, had the intention of “misleading the public, leading them to believe that the campaign is affiliated, sponsored or endorsed by the Knicks, or in some way linked to them”.
Mamdani’s modified logo featured the same orange and blue basketball as the copyrighted Knicks logo, with the only difference being that Mamdani’s first name, “Zohran,” replaced the team name.
“The Knicks want to make it clear that they do not endorse Mr. Mamdani for mayor and oppose the use of our copyrighted logo,” a Knicks spokesperson said in a statement, according to the American press. “We will pursue all legal remedies to assert our rights.”
Mamdani’s campaign spokeswoman, Dora Pekec, commented on the basketball team’s stance. “Although the Knicks may not be able to publicly support our campaign, we are proud to publicly support our NY Knicks,” said Pekec, adding that “adjustments to the ad” will be made, in a statement published by Bloomberg.
A Muslim born in Uganda, Mamdani is considered a 33-year-old democratic socialist and, in June, emerged in the Democratic primaries as the biggest force on the left in New York, the city for which he is running for mayor.
