Artist Matt Furie created Pepe The Frog character in early 2000s and has described the character as a “peaceful frog-dude” whose true nature “celebrates peace, togetherness and fun.” In 2015, far-right began to use Pepe as a representation of hate, anti-Semitism and white supremacy. The character quickly became tied to racists and conspiracy theorists like Richard Spencer and Mike Cernovich.
Furie has tried to reclaim Pepe though #SavePepe campaign and issued cease-and-desist orders to those using its images and companies like Google, Amazon and Reddit who are hosting the images. Last year, he even tried to kill off the character. This time, however, he’s going after Infowars.
Hollywood Reporter notes that Infowars is currently selling a poster that features Pepe The Frog alongside Donald Trump, Milo Yiannopoulos, Ann Coulter, Matt Drudge, Roger Stone, Paul Joseph Watson, Kellyanne Conway and two Trump supporters known as Diamond and Silk. At the bottom, Trump’s “MAGA” slogan is written.
Furie, understandable is upset and is going after Infowars in a lawsuit for its use of Pepe in the poster. In his complaint, it says that he “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 in this poster, or with the ‘MAGA’ slogan.”
In the lawsuit, Furie is seeking damages and any profits that were made from the poster. He’s also seeking an injunction that would prohibit Infowars and anyone else working with the site from using Pepe.
