Demon Hunter Sue Netflix Over KPop Demon Hunters
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Demon Hunter (via Hyde Lane) filed a trademark lawsuit against Netflix Studios and AEG Presents on Tuesday, alleging the KPop Demon Hunters film, merchandise, and planned 2027 global concert tour create 'almost complete overlap' with the band's offerings
- The Seattle five-piece cited consumer confusion including an email from someone who spent $500 on tickets thinking they were buying passes to a child-friendly Kpop show, and a TV producer who contacted the band's management assuming a connection
- Demon Hunter registered their name as a trademark for recorded music and merchandise in 2022 and has applied for a live music trademark; Netflix has registered 'Kpop Demon Hunters' for several merchandise categories with other applications pending
- The 25-year-old band released their 12th album in September 2025 and has 350,000 monthly Spotify listeners — compared to 27 million monthly listeners for the KPop Demon Hunters cast, led by fictional K-pop girl group Huntr/X
- KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix's most-watched original title ever, won Best Animated Film and Best Original Song ('Golden') at the 2026 Golden Globes and Oscars, and is expanding into a sequel, a potential TV series, and a stage musical
- The band's complaint called the situation an 'existential crisis' and asked the court to halt Netflix's use of the name for recorded music, live shows, and merchandise, plus unspecified damages
Why it matters: A 350,000-listener heavy metal band is asking a court to force Netflix to rebrand its most-watched original title in history. The band's trademark predates the 2025 film by years but covers a narrower scope, while Netflix's franchise is generating award-winning music, a 2027 tour, and sequels — meaning the legal outcome could force costly rebranding of a globally recognized IP or force Netflix to pay damages to a small Seattle band.
Ask SkimNews
