American heavy metal band Demon Hunter has filed a trademark lawsuit against Netflix and concert promoter AEG Presents, claiming the streaming giant's hit K-pop animated film creates consumer confusion with their 25-year music career.
Christian metal band Demon Hunter filed a trademark lawsuit on Tuesday against Netflix Studios and live promoter AEG Presents, arguing that the streamer's successful K-pop film "Kpop Demon Hunters" causes substantial confusion among consumers. The Seattle-based five-piece band, which has been active for over two decades, contends there is "almost complete overlap" between their established brand and Netflix's expanding multimedia venture.
According to the legal complaint filed by the band's company Hyde Lane, the confusion has already manifested in concrete ways. The suit includes an email from someone who spent $500 on concert tickets believing they were purchasing access to a child-friendly K-pop performance, as well as reports from a television producer who contacted the band's management thinking they were connected to the Netflix project. Social media posts have also incorrectly tagged Demon Hunter when discussing the film.
The scale of the two entities differs dramatically. Demon Hunter, classified as "aggressive yet emotionally stirring heavy metal" by music critics, commands approximately 350,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, while the K-pop Demon Hunters cast boasts 27 million monthly listeners. The Netflix film, which originated as a 2025 animated production, has become a cultural phenomenon, winning Golden Globe and Academy Award recognition in 2026.
Demon Hunter's legal team seeks an injunction preventing Netflix from using the "Kpop Demon Hunters" name for recorded music, live performances, and merchandise, along with unspecified monetary damages. The band registered "Demon Hunter" as a trademark for recorded music and merchandise in 2022 and has pending applications for live music rights. Netflix has registered "Kpop Demon Hunters" for merchandise uses, with additional trademark applications pending. A global concert tour for the K-pop project is scheduled to launch in 2027.
