Milwaukee Bucks claim merchandise from pop-up tents is illegal

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Bucks fever is taking over Milwaukee and new vendors are selling gear all over the city.

There are several pop-up tents in the area that are selling Bucks gear. The first thing you may notice is that merchandise starts at $10, cheaper than the pro shop but the Bucks say it's illegal.

"We sell at pop-up stores in hot markets. Like whenever a team is on a championship run, we set up these pop-up stores to sell to fans," said Abuzakiya Tariq.

The Bucks sent out a statement saying the Bucks Pro Shop and Bucks.com and other authorized retailers are the only place to purchase official Bucks merchandise.

The Better Business Bureau says know who you're buying from.

"We're not saying not to do it, but we're saying, be careful. And you know, know what you're buying. Know the difference in the price may make the difference in the item that you're purchasing," said Lisa Schiller with the Better Business Bureau.

Tariq says he knows he's not selling licensed products but that doesn't mean the quality is different.

"When you say that something is licensed, that just determines who has it printed because just like when I contract with a printer, the NBA, the NFL, they contract with printers," said Tariq.

Tariq argues what he's doing isn't illegal because he uses his own designs. 

"More or less, a generic shirt. Like we put Milwaukee basketball on there. There's no Bucks logos on these shirts. These are stuff that we design and the fans like."

An Intellectual Property Attorney says the Bucks are probably right in this dispute but teams often don't have time to go after every single vendor selling merchandise.