Musk's X blocks 'The Onion' from taking over Infowars' accounts
What's the story
As part of The Onion's bid to acquire Alex Jones's assets, Elon Musk and his technology company, X Corporation, has raised a legal objection to the transfer of Infowars's social media accounts on X. The objection was filed in a federal Bankruptcy Court on Monday. X Corporation's terms of service (TOS) state that "the Trustee cannot sell, assign or otherwise transfer such license absent X Corp.'s consent," according to court records.
TOS details
TOS prohibits unauthorized account transfers
The TOS of X Corporation clearly mentions that accounts cannot be transferred, gifted, sold, or assigned to other parties "without X's express written consent." The company reiterated this in its court filing, saying "Because the X accounts are governed by the TOS, the TOS make clear that X accounts are X Corp.'s exclusive property" This claim is a major part of their legal objection against The Onion's acquisition.
Asset liquidation
Infowars assets auctioned to cover Jones's legal damages
Jones's assets, including the Infowars website, were put up for auction, earlier this month. The goal was to raise money for nearly $1.5 billion in damages he owes from civil trials brought by family members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. Jones was held responsible for spreading false information about these families, alleging that the Sandy Hook shooting was a staged event.
Acquisition plans
Global Tetrahedron's plans for Infowars site post-acquisition
Global Tetrahedron, The Onion's parent company, came forward to purchase the Infowars site after obtaining consent from the families to accept a lower bid. This was done as part of a plan to settle Jones's other creditors. Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, announced on his Bluesky account that they intend to convert Infowars.com into "a very funny, very stupid website."
Sale halt
US bankruptcy judge halts Infowars sale, demands review
US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez has stayed the deal and ordered an evidentiary hearing to examine the auction process. The auction's trustee, Christopher Murray, conceded in court that Global Tetrahedron's bid wasn't the highest but had a legal clause concerning its agreement with the families. The Associated Press reported that Lopez will hear arguments on the trustee's sale of Infowars to The Onion on December 9 or 17.