Christian Metal Band Demon Hunter Sues Netflix, AEG Over ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Trademark

Christian metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix and AEG Presents on Tuesday, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition over the use of the “KPop Demon Hunters” name.

In the filing, which was obtained and viewed by TheWrap, the band (via their corporation Hyde Lane) accused the companies of “jealously guard[ing] and enforc[ing] their own intellectual property rights” while “willfully disregarding the rights of others in pursuit of profits.”

“Demon Hunter [is] a well- known and celebrated metal band. Demon Hunter was formed at the turn of the century and, in the quarter-century since, it has consistently released albums, toured, and sold merchandise to a large and dedicated audience,” the Tuesday filing stated. “Unfortunately, in 2025, Netflix and Netflix Studios—despite almost certainly being aware of Demon Hunter—chose to release a movie titled ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ … [which] reached unprecedented levels of success, not only as a film on Netflix’s streaming service, but also via the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ movie soundtrack album and merchandise.” 

As the document went on, it called out Netflix’s partnership with AEG to launch the global concert tour for “KPop Demon Hunters,” which is set to hit 150 cities.

“In short, in just a year’s time, Defendants have taken step after step to move into almost complete overlap with the goods and services offered by Hyde Lane under the Demon Hunter mark,” the suit claimed. “As a result of their adoption and exploitation of the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ brand, which is confusingly similar to senior user Hyde Lane’s established Demon Hunter mark, junior users Netflix, Netflix Studios, and AEG have created a substantial likelihood of confusion (and, indeed, actual confusion has already resulted), leading consumers to believe the parties’ goods or services are affiliated, sponsored, or otherwise connected with one another.”

Per the filing, Demon Hunter’s corporation has had to “bear the reputational and commercial consequences,” accusing the defendants of diverting consumers that Demon Hunter has built.

“Even more devastatingly, by leveraging their superior resources and reach, Defendants can, and do, eclipse Hyde Lane’s Demon Hunter marks in the marketplace and effectively misappropriate the marks’ source-identifying significance,” the lawsuit added. “Thus, Defendants’ greater size and strength overwhelms Hyde Lane’s established identity, causing consumers to perceive Hyde Lane as affiliated with, sponsored by, or derived from Defendants and denuding Hyde Lane of power over its commercial fate.”

The filing reiterated that the group had “established the mark first and invested in the goodwill associated with it for decades,” touting them as the “senior user.”

Additionally, it alleged that the group has been “forced to surrender control over its commercial identity simply because Defendants have greater resources and a larger marketplace footprint.”

In addition to trademark infringement and unfair competition, the lawsuit alleged false design origin and demanded a jury trial.

While the suit noted that they had “been damaged in an amount not yet ascertainable,” the band declared that they are seeking treble damages, exemplary damages, injunctive relief, Netflix’s profits and attorneys’ fees.

Representatives for Netflix and AEG did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

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