Infowars is in the crosshairs of Pepe the Frog.
Matt Furie, the cartoonist behind the popular Pepe the Frog character, has sued radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars website over selling a poster depicting the frog without Furie’s consent. According to the Associated Press, which earlier reported on the lawsuit, Furie is alleging copyright infringement in a lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles.
Infowars visitors are able to buy posters featuring Pepe the Frog next to President Donald Trump and a variety of right-wing personalities, including Milo Yiannopoulous. Jones is also pictured next to the frog. According to the AP, Infowars is selling a MAGA poster featuring Pepe the Frog for $30.
For his part, Jones, who leads Infowars and is one of the more controversial figures in America, called the lawsuit “frivolous.” He added that Infowars will “fight back,” adding that the “law is on our side.”
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Furie has been engaged in a battle to protect his copyright for the last several months after he discovered a variety of websites and organizations using the Pepe the Frog character in materials they were selling. One of his attorneys, Louis Tompros, told the AP that Furie is engaged in a game of “whack-a-mole” to take on those who he believes have violated his copyright.
Pepe the Frog has been an Internet sensation and meme for about a decade. The frog, which was created in 2005, has a humanoid body, and has appeared in comic books. It’s also been used in a variety of alt-right capacities without Furie’s consent.
As of this writing, Pepe the Frog posters have been removed from the Infowars online shop, which houses a variety of products, including water filtration systems, emergency survival food, and stickers promoting Jones and the site.
