Netflix Faces Lawsuit From Christian Metal Band Over KPop Demon Hunters
Christian metal band Demon Hunter is taking Netflix to court over KPop Demon Hunters, claiming the hit franchise has created trademark confusion with the band’s name. According to a report…
Christian metal band Demon Hunter is taking Netflix to court over KPop Demon Hunters, claiming the hit franchise has created trademark confusion with the band’s name.
According to a report from Complex, the band, through its corporation Hyde Lane, filed a lawsuit Tuesday, August 18, in the Central District of California against Netflix, Netflix Studios, and live events promoter AEG Presents. The complaint accuses the defendants of trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition.
The lawsuit arrives as KPop Demon Hunters continues to expand beyond its 2025 Netflix release. The film has grown into a major franchise with a successful soundtrack, merchandise and a planned global concert tour in partnership with AEG Presents. The tour is expected to reach 150 cities.
Demon Hunter says that expansion has created a serious problem for a band that has used its name for roughly a quarter-century.
Demon Hunter Says Consumers Are Confused
According to the complaint, as reported by the BBC, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters brand has moved into "almost complete overlap" with the goods and services Hyde Lane has offered under the Demon Hunter name.
The filing argues that the two names are confusingly similar and says actual consumer confusion has already happened.
The band says the confusion could go in either direction. Consumers might believe Netflix products or events are connected to Demon Hunter. At the same time, Netflix’s much larger presence could cause people to think the band itself is affiliated with the KPop Demon Hunters franchise.
The lawsuit points to one example that makes the argument especially easy to understand.
According to the complaint, a person spent $500 on top-tier tickets to a Demon Hunter concert in Albany, New York, mistakenly believing they were buying tickets to a KPop Demon Hunters show for their 5- and 6-year-old daughters.
After realizing the mistake, the person reached out about getting the tickets refunded.
“Is their [sic] anyway to refund me or get me a credit or something[?]” the person asked. “If I dont get it refunded I will not be able to purchase tickets to the actual ‘K pop demon hunters show’.”
For Hyde Lane, the mix-up is evidence that the similarities between the names are already affecting consumers.
The Band Says Netflix Has the Bigger Megaphone
Demon Hunter has been releasing music, touring and selling merchandise since the turn of the century. The lawsuit describes the band as the “senior user” of the Demon Hunter trademark because it established and invested in the name long before Netflix’s film arrived.
But Netflix has a much larger reach.
The complaint says the band has been pushed aside as the KPop Demon Hunters franchise has grown, arguing that Netflix’s size and marketplace presence could overwhelm the identity Demon Hunter spent decades building.
The filing accuses the defendants of being "massive companies that jealously guard and enforce their own intellectual property rights willfully disregarding the rights of others in pursuit of profits."
The band also argues that Netflix and AEG’s move into live entertainment makes the situation even more serious. The planned tour puts the two sides in an area where Demon Hunter has spent years performing and selling merchandise.
What Demon Hunter Wants From Netflix
According to The Wrap, Hyde Lane is demanding a jury trial and asking the court to restore what it describes as its “rightful interests” in the Demon Hunter trademark and the goodwill it has built over more than two decades.
The band wants Netflix to be prevented from using the KPop Demon Hunters name and is seeking restitution and treble damages. The lawsuit also seeks other forms of financial and legal relief.
For now, the case puts a longtime metal band and one of Netflix’s biggest entertainment franchises in an unusual legal showdown. Demon Hunter says it built its name first and now fears that the success of KPop Demon Hunters could make that name harder for consumers to distinguish.
The court will ultimately have to decide whether the similarities between the two names cross the legal line.
