Metal Band Demon Hunter Sues Netflix and AEG Over 'KPop Demon Hunters' Title
The metal band Demon Hunter has sued Netflix and AEG Presents over the title of Netflix's animated film KPop Demon Hunters, claiming trademark infringement and consumer confusion.
Demon Hunter — operating through its corporation Hyde Lane, Inc. — filed the complaint on August 18 in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The defendants named are Netflix, Inc., Netflix Studios, and AEG Presents. Sony Pictures Animation, which produced the film, is not a defendant (Music Business Worldwide).
The complaint alleges trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. Demon Hunter is a longtime Christian metal band whose corporate entity, Hyde Lane, offers products under the Demon Hunter name (Cleveland.com; Complex).
According to the complaint, Netflix and Netflix Studios released KPop Demon Hunters in 2025. The animated film, centred on a character named Huntrix, reached high levels of success on streaming and through its soundtrack album and merchandise (Music Business Worldwide; Los Angeles Times). In May, Netflix and AEG Presents announced a global concert tour based on the film, which the complaint says will reach 150 cities.
The lawsuit claims that the KPop Demon Hunters franchise created trademark confusion and harmed the band. One cited example: a parent who spent nearly $500 on premium tickets to a Demon Hunter concert in Albany, New York, believing it was a KPop Demon Hunters event (Music Business Worldwide).
Demon Hunter has asked the court for an order blocking Netflix from using the name 'KPop Demon Hunters' on music, merchandise, or to promote live concerts (Reuters; KFGO). Hyde Lane is also seeking treble damages — a penalty of up to three times actual damages, available in US trademark cases — along with restitution, Netflix's profits from the alleged infringement, and attorneys' fees. The complaint demands a jury trial.
The case pits a niche metal band against one of the world's largest entertainment companies and AEG Presents, a major live-events promoter, in a dispute that turns on how far a name can travel before two audiences start crossing wires. The reported confusion — a parent buying tickets to a Christian metal show expecting a K-pop film event — is the kind of detail trademark claims are built around: not that the works are similar, but that a consumer could reasonably mistake one for the other.
Neither Netflix nor AEG Presents has publicly commented on the litigation. No court date has been announced.
