While he can do nothing to prevent bad reviews for J.D. & The Straight Shot, Knicks owner James Dolan is perfectly capable of using his vast resources to crush the groundswell of opposition to his…existence?

From the NY Post’s Marc Berman.

Knicks owner James Dolan (above) has sent his lawyers after the new Web site selltheknicks.com for peddling derogatory T-shirts with his likeness, including one with Dolan pictured in a dunce cap, The Post has learned.

According to sources, Cablevision attorney Ashima Dayal dispatched an e-mail to cafepress.com, which manufactures, distributes and handles the shirt sales for the fledging anti-Dolan Web site, whose birth was first reported in the Post’s Rumble section 10 days ago.


The e-mail from Dolan’s lawyer said, in part, the Dolan T-shirts, which sell for $19.99, “infringes upon their intellectual property rights.” In accordance with the notice, the manufacturer has temporarily taken the T-shirts off the site.

The founders of selltheknicks.com are trying to convince the manufacturer that all the T-shirts need not be banned.

“I don’t know how you claim something like that,” said one of the Web site founders, who requested his last name not be used for this story. “His face is one thing. The name Dolan is incredibly generic. It’s a common name.”

The same source said his Web site will continue on, and if they can’t sell the old T-shirt, they are planning to make a new one inscribed “Dol-ass.”

“It’s kind of spineless,” he said. “At least we have [Dolan’s] attention. If he wasn’t scared of what we possibly could do, he’d let it roll over. It’s encouraging, but it’s also disappointing he’s being so petty and can’t take a joke.”