Character, Pepe the Frog & Copyright
- Sep 9, 2017
- 1 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
At some point, cartoonist Matt Furie’s Pepe the Frog character went from “peaceful frog-dude” to recurring character in white supremacist memes. Furie responded by partnering with the Anti-Defamation League in a #SavePepe campaign. He also made a YouTube™ video about some of his experiences in this respect. (The video was accessible via this link previously, but maybe the artist's Patreon still has something about it.)
Copyright Dispute Resolved
On another front, Matt Furie and his pro bono lawyers were recently successful in settling a copyright dispute without resorting to litigation. (You can read the American Bar Association’s report here.) It seems, the dispute was over a children’s book which likewise featured a frog named Pepe but promoted “conservative” views. In the book, Pepe took on a bearded alligator named “Alkah” and tried to bring law and order to a “Wishington” farm.
Under the settlement, the author of the unauthorized book has admitted to the copyright infringement and agreed to:
Cease any further use of the copyrighted character, image, or name of Pepe the Frog. And,
Pay all past profits earned from his book to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Crowdfunding Success for Character
Meanwhile, Pepe’s creator has now closed a successful Kickstarter™ crowdfunding campaign. So, the frog character might next appear in a new comic book more consistent with its roots. Funders should expect delivery of the comic by this December.
Just in time for the holiday season?
