Christian metal band Demon Hunter has sued Netflix and concert promoter AEG Presents, accusing them of trademark infringement and unfair competition over the name of the animated hit “KPop Demon Hunters.”
Hyde Lane, the corporate entity behind the band, filed the lawsuit this week and is seeking a jury trial, Variety reported. Netflix, Netflix Studios and AEG Presents were all named as defendants, according to CNN. Court filings show trademark registrations for “Demon Hunter” spanning several categories, including recorded music and merchandise.
AEG Presents, a concert promotion company, was named as a defendant over its role in an upcoming “KPop Demon Hunters” tour. The tour was announced earlier this year and is planned to run in 150 cities.
Demon Hunter was formed in Seattle in 2000 by Ryan Clark and Don Clark. The band has released a string of studio and live albums since its 2002 debut record, “Demon Hunter,” through its 2025 release, “There Was a Light Here,” the lawsuit says.
The complaint says Netflix “almost certainly” was aware the band existed before choosing the film’s title and argues the movie’s outsized success has fueled the alleged confusion, according to Forbes. The suit characterizes the resulting mix-up as an “existential crisis” for the band.
It cites several instances of alleged mix-ups. In February, the band received an email from a man who said he had spent $500 on tickets to a Demon Hunter show in Albany, New York, for his two young daughters, ages 5 and 6, after mistaking it for an appearance by the fictional girl group depicted in the film.
In the message, the buyer said a refund was the only way he could still afford seats to the “actual ‘K pop demon hunters show,’” according to The Guardian, which cited the outlet Complex.
The band also says the CBS’ “Inside Edition” mistakenly sent it a request meant for the film’s songwriter, seeking an interview about an Oscar win. Separately, a television producer contacted Demon Hunter’s team, incorrectly assuming a connection to the film, and fans on social media have tagged the band in posts meant for “KPop Demon Hunters.”
Hyde Lane says it has also become harder to find Demon Hunter’s concert listings and merchandise online because search results favor the film. The suit argues that adding “KPop” before “Demon Hunters” does not remove the likelihood of confusion because the term is too generic, comparing the situation to Netflix launching a touring act named after an existing band, such as Metallica or U2, with “KPop” attached to the front.
The suit seeks an order stopping Netflix from marketing recorded music, live shows or merchandise under the “KPop Demon Hunters” name, along with the profits Netflix made from the film and other unspecified damages.
A Netflix spokesperson was quoted as saying that the allegations are without merit. The spokesperson called “KPop Demon Hunters” an Academy Award-winning global phenomenon and saying the company would vigorously defend the case.
Hyde Lane first registered a trademark for “Demon Hunter” covering live musical performances in 2014. The trademark was filed in January of that year and registered that August, with the mark’s first commercial use dated to 2001. The company later filed for additional trademark protection covering recorded music, printed matter, and clothing and merchandise, which was registered in January 2022.
Netflix, meanwhile, holds trademark registrations for “KPop Demon Hunters” in several merchandise categories, with more applications pending, and began filing those applications in August 2025 after Hyde Lane’s marks were already registered.
“KPop Demon Hunters” was released in June 2025 and follows the K-pop girl group Huntr/x, who are secretly demon hunters, as they face off against rival boy band Saja Boys, who are secretly demons. Sony Pictures originally produced the film, which reached audiences through a first-look arrangement with Netflix. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 91 percent score from critics and a 99% score from audiences.
The film became Netflix’s most-streamed movie of 2025, logging 20.5 billion viewing minutes, and by last August had passed 2021’s “Red Notice” to become the most-watched movie in the streamer’s history. Viewership has since climbed past 325.1 million total plays, and the film has won Oscars, Grammys and Golden Globes.
Its soundtrack became the first to place four songs simultaneously in the top 10, including “Golden” and “Soda Pop,” and topped the Billboard 200 albums chart, the U.S. music industry’s leading ranking of bestselling and most-streamed albums, in September 2025. A sequel has already been confirmed for release in 2029, and Netflix is reportedly considering further projects tied to the franchise, including a television series and a stage musical.
