James Dolan’s MSG Sports Declares War on Bootleg T-Shirt Vendors

Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan has picked a new enemy: bootleg T-shirt vendors outside of Madison Square Garden.

MSG Sports, the Knicks, and the Rangers filed a 30-page lawsuit in federal court Monday against—for now, no one. “The identities of Defendants, various John Does, Jane Does and XYZ Companies, are not presently known, and this Complaint will be amended to include the names of such individuals and entities when identified,” the suit reads.

The teams are claiming the vendors are “selling and distributing infringing merchandise” and are stealing their intellectual property and registered trademarks. The lawsuit says MSG security obtained some of the counterfeit merchandise and took photos of vendors selling it. The claim even quotes one vendor confirming the merchandise was fake, but adding, “doesn’t it look real?”

The suit also claims the vendors are causing safety issues by increasing crowding around Madison Square Garden before and after games, and that the sellers are “aggressive and belligerent towards pedestrians.” The suit says MSG Sports is entitled to damages triple the sellers’ profits and asked the court to authorize state and local police and MSG security “to seize and impound any and all Bootleg Merchandise.”

Teams across the nation have been cracking down on unlicensed vendors. In April, police in Los Angeles seized about $140,000 worth of fake Lakers merchandise from vendors outside Crypto.com Arena. Last year, a man in Chicago was arrested for selling counterfeit Cubs hats while on probation for selling fake White Sox tickets. Most notably, in 2022, federal authorities intercepted about $23 million worth of counterfeit sports apparel as it made its way into the U.S.

But these incidents have yet to deter vendors, who are staples of events like sports games and concerts across the country. Because the vendors are so widespread, Dolan may have a hard time winning his argument that the merchandise confuses fans into believing the apparel is official, team-approved merchandise.

MSG Sports and the New York City Police Department did not immediately comment.