Christian Metal Band Demon Hunter Sues Netflix Over KPop Demon Hunters Trademark

The Christian metal group Demon Hunter has filed a federal trademark lawsuit against Netflix and live‑event promoter AEG Presents, alleging that the streaming giant’s use of the name “KPop Demon Hunters” for a film, concert tour and merchandise line creates substantial consumer confusion.

The complaint, lodged on Tuesday by Demon Hunter’s corporate entity Hyde Lane in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claims that Netflix’s planned global tour, the film’s soundtrack, and related merchandise overlap almost completely with the band’s own offerings. The band says the overlap threatens its brand, built over 25 years of touring and recording.

Evidence presented in the filing includes an email from a customer who spent $500 on a Demon Hunter concert ticket in New York, believing it was a child‑friendly K‑pop show. The complaint also cites a television producer who mistakenly contacted the band’s management thinking they were associated with the KPop Demon Hunters franchise, and social‑media posts that incorrectly tagged Demon Hunter when discussing the film.

Demon Hunter, formed in Seattle in 2000 by brothers Don and Ryan Clark, released its twelfth studio album in September 2025. The band has 350,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and has registered “Demon Hunter” as a trademark for recorded music and merchandise in 2022, with a pending application for live‑performance rights.

Netflix, which launched the animated musical film “KPop Demon Hunters” in June 2025, has registered the phrase “KPop Demon Hunters” as a trademark for merchandise and has additional applications pending. The film, produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, follows a K‑pop girl group that secretly hunts demons. It became Netflix’s most‑watched original title, drawing over 325 million views by the end of 2025, and won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at both the 83rd Golden Globe Awards and the 98th Academy Awards.

According to the complaint, Netflix’s brand strategy includes a worldwide live‑tour slated to begin in 2027, a sequel to the film, and potential television and stage adaptations. The band argues that these initiatives, coupled with the film’s massive fan base of 27 million monthly listeners, create “almost complete overlap” with Demon Hunter’s established brand.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction preventing Netflix from using the “KPop Demon Hunters” name in connection with recorded music, live performances and merchandise, and requests unspecified damages. The complaint states that the band’s “brand that Hyde Lane has carefully built over the course of the past quarter century now faces an existential crisis.”

Netflix and AEG have not yet issued a public response. The BBC has requested comment from all parties.

The case highlights the growing intersection of music, film and live‑event industries and the legal challenges that arise when brand identities collide across multiple media platforms.

At present, the lawsuit remains pending in federal court, and no settlement or further legal action has been announced.