Christian metal band Demon Hunter has taken legal action against Netflix, alleging trademark infringement due to the streaming platform’s popular movie, KPop Demon Hunters. The lawsuit, filed on August 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by Hyde Lane Inc., the parent company of Demon Hunter, claims that the film’s title creates confusion as it closely resembles the band’s trademarked name.
Founded in Seattle in 2000 by brothers Ryan Clark and Don Clark, Demon Hunter has released 13 albums and achieved significant success, with one million equivalent album sales, including streaming numbers. Their most recent album, There Was a Light Here, was released in 2025. On the other hand, Netflix released KPop Demon Hunters in June 2025, a movie depicting members of a K-pop girl group who double as demon hunters. The film has become Netflix’s most-viewed movie, with over 325.1 million views as of March.
Since the release of KPop Demon Hunters, Demon Hunter has faced inquiries from individuals who have mistaken the band for the movie. For instance, in February, the band’s parent company received an email seeking a refund for concert tickets, as the parent had mistakenly thought they were purchasing tickets for a KPop Demon Hunters show. Additionally, a producer from Inside Edition contacted Demon Hunter’s manager to book “Yu-Han Lee” for an interview, mistaking him for a member of the band when he is actually a songwriter who won an Oscar for a song featured in KPop Demon Hunters.
Furthermore, social media users have wrongly used the #DemonHunter hashtag when discussing KPop Demon Hunters, leading to further confusion. The lawsuit emphasizes that Netflix’s use of the KPop Demon Hunters title infringes on Demon Hunter’s trademark rights, likening it to unauthorized use of well-known band names like Metallica or U2.
Demon Hunter’s legal representative, John Tehranian, declined to provide a comment on the matter, while Netflix stated via email to CBC News that they intend to contest the lawsuit, asserting that the claims are baseless. Netflix highlighted the global success of KPop Demon Hunters and expressed its commitment to defending the case vigorously.