--- ---  # Pepe the Frog Creator Is Suing InfoWars for Selling Right-Wing Posters  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 7, 2018 6:46 PM UTC  Andrew Knight holds a sign of Pepe the frog, a conservative icon, during a rally in Berkeley, California on April 27, 2017. Andrew Knight holds a sign of Pepe the frog, a conservative icon, during a rally in Berkeley, California on April 27, 2017.JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Mar 7, 2018 6:46 PM UTC The creator of [Pepe the Frog](http://time.com/4510849/pepe-the-frog-adl-hate-symbol/) is suing conspiracy theorist website [InfoWars](http://time.com/4743025/alex-jones-infowars-divorce-donald-trump/) for selling a poster featuring the character. California-based cartoonist [Matt Furie](http://time.com/4815217/most-influential-people-internet/item/matt-lurie/) has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against conservative radio host Alex Jones’ site over allegedly unauthorized depictions of Pepe alongside right-wing figures such as President Donald Trump, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and Jones himself. “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 with the ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) slogan,” the lawsuit states, according to [_The Verge_](https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/7/17089784/pepe-the-frog-creator-suing-infowars-matt-furie-alex-jones). Pepe was turned into a meme after Furie first drew the frog for a 2005 web comic. However, during the 2016 presidential campaign, members of the alt-right began championing Pepe as their mascot and using his likeness to spread racist, sexist and anti-Semitic messages. The character has since been [declared a “hate symbol”](http://time.com/4510849/pepe-the-frog-adl-hate-symbol/) by the Anti-Defamation League. “My listeners understand this is all frivolous,” Jones [told the _Associated Press_](https://apnews.com/9c49984cea5249219d1cd93725d00600/Pepe-the-Frog-cartoonist-sues-Infowars-over-poster-sales?utm%5Fcampaign=SocialFlow&utm%5Fsource=Twitter&utm%5Fmedium=AP). “We don’t have any choice but to fight back, and the law is on our side.” Pepe the Frog Creator Suing InfoWars Over Poster Sales ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5189646/pepe-the-frog-creator-suing-infowars/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5189646/pepe-the-frog-creator-suing-infowars/"},"headline":"Pepe the Frog Creator Is Suing InfoWars for Selling Right-Wing Posters","datePublished":"2018-03-07T18:46:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:51:12.467Z","description":"The cartoon frog has become a symbol of the alt-right","url":"https://time.com/5189646/pepe-the-frog-creator-suing-infowars/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Bizarre","Law","memes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d0eed2e198a7b3c/698929f897cdffe5466b490b/pepe-the-frog-infowars.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d0eed2e198a7b3c/698929f897cdffe5466b490b/pepe-the-frog-infowars.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-POLITICS-UNIVERSITY-BERKELEY","caption":"Andrew Knight holds a sign of Pepe the frog, a conservative icon, during a rally in Berkeley, California on April 27, 2017.","creditText":"JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5189646/pepe-the-frog-creator-suing-infowars/","name":"Pepe the Frog Creator Is Suing InfoWars for Selling Right-Wing Posters"}}]}] ```