The cartoonist who created Pepe the Frog has sued conspiracy-promoting website Infowars for selling a poster copying the character, which became hijacked by racist internet trolls and far-right extremists.

Infowars host Alex Jones arrives at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas. Source: Associated Press

The copyright infringement lawsuit, filed yesterday in Los Angeles, is the second that California-based cartoonist Matt Furie has brought as part of a legal campaign to reclaim his creation.

Infowars' website is the online platform for right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Furie's lawsuit says he didn't authorise the site to sell a poster that depicts the anthropomorphic frog alongside images of Jones, President Donald Trump, far-right agitator Milo Yiannopoulos and other right-wing figures.

Jones described the lawsuit as a "publicity stunt." Although he stressed that Infowars didn't produce the poster, Jones said he views it as an expression of political speech protected by the First Amendment.

"My listeners understand this is all frivolous," Jones told The Associated Press. "We don't have any choice but to fight back, and the law is on our side."

Infowars is selling the Pepe-adorned "MAGA" poster for $29.95 and says it was created by "renowned artist and patriot" Jon Allen. Jones said Infowars has sold about 1,000 of the posters but added that it's hardly one of the site's most popular items.

"I think the frog is stupid looking. I think it's a dumb meme," Jones said.

Last June, Furie launched a "Save Pepe" crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a new comic book. He also enlisted help from attorneys to pursue legal action against people who appeared to be profiting off Pepe's image without his permission.

Jones said he views the "MAGA" poster as a symbol of the 2016 campaign.

"Everybody knows I'm not a white supremacist. I'm not into that crap," Jones said. "This is just purely harassment."