(CNN) Pepe the frog, the once-innocent cartoon that was appropriated as a mascot of the alt-right, is at the center of a new legal battle.
Matt Furie, the character's creator, is suing Infowars, the media company helmed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
In the lawsuit filed Monday, Furie alleges copyright infringement stemming from a stylized poster sold on the Infowars website. The $29.95 poster features a depiction of Pepe alongside other MAGA "heroes" drawn by artist Jon Allen, including Donald Trump, Roger Stone, Milo Yiannopoulos, Ann Coulter and Jones himself.
"The establishment wants this taken down," the description of the poster reads. "Instead, celebrate the historic victory and frame this conversation starter in your home!''
The poster, as shown in the Infowars online store.
According to the civil complaint, "Furie did not authorize the use of the Pepe image or character in this poster, and does not approve of the association of Pepe with Alex Jones or any of the other figures shown in this poster, or the 'MAGA' slogan."
ewanatoratorator on March 8th, 2018 at 00:57 UTC »
You know something's wrong when you can't tell if a post is from r/nottheonion, r/news or r/dankmemes.
BeigeLion on March 7th, 2018 at 23:03 UTC »
They're putting chemicals in the water to get the freaking frogs paid
iShouldBeWorking2day on March 7th, 2018 at 22:57 UTC »
The artist owns the right to the character, the character is on merchandise being distributed by InfoWars without permission. Seems clear-cut.
Jones calls it 'protected by the first amendment.' Yeah, I do remember the constitution covering IP laws.