A diehard Knick fan from Brooklyn is crying foul over the NBA’s treatment of his loyalist Web site, Knicklyn.
Amid the hype around his Manhattan team’s rivalry with the new Brooklyn Nets, Mike Sorisi, 26, created an online fan base for Knicks loyalists such as himself who live in Brooklyn, home to its first new major-league sports team in more than 50 years.
Sorisi coined the term “Knicklyn” to represent fans whose loyalty may be divided between the Knicks, one of the league’s original franchises, and the Nets in Brooklyn, one of the city’s most pride-filled boroughs.
Sorisi designed a clever logo to go with the moniker and started selling hats and stickers.
Days later, the NBA unleashed a full-court press ordering him to cease and desist, claiming trademark infringement, he said.
“I kind of feel like I’m being bullied,” Sorisi said. “I’m one person operating this thing, and I need to sell goods to cover my costs.”
The NBA said Sorisi’s use of the word “Knick” is a trademark infringement, as is his logo which features a basketball that is similar to the Nets’ design.
The NBA threw its first elbow just days after Sorisi’s site went live.
“I was shocked at how fast I was contacted,” Sorisi said.
But there it was in his inbox, a missive from the National Bullies Association ordering him to shut down sales — or else.
“Your unauthorized use of NBA Intellectual Property is an attempt to capitalize on the fame and goodwill of NBA Intellectual Property — including the ‘Knicks’ name and the ‘Nets’ logo,” the league told Sorisi in the e-mail.
The note warned him to stop selling his popular hats and stickers and deliver any unsold products to the NBA.
But Sorisi said the charge is an air ball.
“They don’t own a trademark on circles,” Sorisi said. “There’s a Knickerbocker Avenue that runs through Brooklyn. They don’t own that word.”
The issue, he said, is representing fans in a unique market.
“ ‘Knicklyn’ has provided an identity for many fans like myself whose loyalty remains with the New York Knicks despite having a Brooklyn address,” Sorisi said. “Brooklyn is my home. New York is my team.”
An NBA rep said in a statement, “We have been in direct communication with the owner of the site to singularly address the sale of unlicensed merchandise using NBA trademarks, which violates league and team intellectual-property rights.
“There has been no demand for compensation or for the shutdown of his Web site.”