Satirical news site The Onion has moved to license the intellectual property of Alex Jones’ Infowars website in its latest attempt to take control of the right-wing conspiracy theorist’s platform.

A court-appointed receiver controlling Infowars parent Free Speech Systems LLC filed papers Monday in a Texas state court seeking approval of a licensing agreement for the company’s IP, including the Infowars trademark and associated domains.

The effort comes more than three years after Jones filed for bankruptcy owing $1.3 billion in judgments to families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.

The proposed deal with War Is Over LLC, an affiliate of The Onion owner Global Tetrahedron LLC, would grant the licensee exclusive use of the IP assets for $81,000 per month over a six-month term. The deal would bring in revenue to cover operational costs and preserve the value of the assets while a broader legal stay prevents a final sale, according to the motion.

Under the deal, the receiver would maintain ownership and quality control, while the Onion unit would gain full editorial authority over website content.

A post on The Onion’s website said it had been working on the deal for months. Jones has maintained control over the Infowars platform for about 25 years.

“You can’t just shut something like this down and pretend it never existed,” Onion CEO Ben Collins said in a statement Monday. “If you want accountability to mean anything, you have to replace it with something better, and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”

A Houston bankruptcy judge in December 2024 struck down The Onion’s bid to acquire the Infowars assets. At the time, Judge Christopher M. Lopez said he had concerns that the transparency of the sealed bid auction process didn’t maximize value for all creditors.

Sandy Hook families sought relief in state court amid lengthy delays in Jones’ personal bankruptcy case in Houston, which is being administered by a Chapter 7 trustee.

Receiver Gregory S. Milligan of HMP Advisory Holdings LLC said in Monday’s motion that when he was appointed last year, he was granted authority over Free Speech’s assets, financial accounts, domain names, and contract rights. He was also given the power to control its websites and take actions necessary to preserve asset value, he said.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of the Travis County District Court appointed Milligan at the request of families that won a more than $1 billion state court defamation judgment in Connecticut against Jones and his company for repeatedly calling the 2012 massacre a hoax.

The receiver said licensing is the best way of generating revenue for the estate because it maintains the active status of the IP without the financial risk of Free Speech running the business directly. The six-month term would allow the receiver to pivot to a final sale as soon as a court pause is lifted, the motion said.

Milligan said he won’t conduct any final asset sales while a separate court proceeding remains paused by a Texas appeals court.

Sandy Hook families who have won judgments in both Texas and Connecticut also are in favor if the deal, the receiver said.

“When InfoWars finally goes dark, the machinery of lies that Jones built will become a force for social good, thanks to the families’ courage and The Onion’s vision, persistence and stewardship,” Chris Mattei, a Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder attorney for the Connecticut Sandy Hook families, said in a statement.

A hearing to consider court approval would likely come later this month, a spokeswoman for Collins said.

Jones and his lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But speaking live Monday from his Infowars show, which he continues to host, Jones suggested there could be appeals and other legal action to push back on the move.

“They jumped the gun on this,” Jones said.

Collins’ spokeswoman said the company is confident in the process and is focused on the agreement and what Infowars becomes going forward.

The receiver is represented by Kane Russell Coleman & Logan PC. War Is Over is represented by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

The case is HESLIN V JONES, Tex. Dist. Ct., No. D-1-GN-18-001835, motion 4/20/26.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.