American Metal institution ‘Demon Hunter’ seems to think so.
KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix’s most-watched original title of all time. What started as a 2025 animated film about K-pop girl group Huntr/X has exploded into a global phenomenon, complete with music releases, extensive merch and a worldwide live tour planned for 2027.
It remains Netflix’s most-watched original title ever and won Best Animated Film plus Best Original Song for “Golden” at the 2026 Golden Globes and Oscars. A sequel is already in development, and Netflix is allegedly exploring further spin-offs including a TV series and stage musical.
US Christian metal band Demon Hunter is taking Netflix to court in a trademark dispute over the streamer’s massive hit KPop Demon Hunters.
The Seattle five-piece, who have been releasing music and touring for 25 years, say Netflix’s plans for a global concert tour, plus the film and merchandise, create “almost complete overlap” with their own brand. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by the band’s company, Hyde Lane. It claims Netflix Studios and live promoter AEG Presents have already caused “substantial confusion” among fans.
One piece of evidence is an email from a person who allegedly spent $500 on tickets to a Demon Hunter show in New York, believing it was a family-friendly K-pop concert for their young children. Other examples in the complaint include a television producer who contacted the band’s management thinking they were linked to the film, and social media users wrongly tagging Demon Hunter when talking about the movie.
The group, described by AllMusic as playing “aggressive yet emotionally stirring heavy metal”, dropped their 12th album in September 2025 and currently has around 350,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. By contrast, the KPop Demon Hunters cast has 27 million monthly listeners on the same platform.
The legal filing states:
“The brand that Hyde Lane has carefully built over the course of the past quarter century now faces an existential crisis, thereby necessitating the filing of this action and the granting of the requested relief from this Court.”
Demon Hunter is asking the court to stop Netflix from using the KPop Demon Hunters name for recorded music, live shows and merchandise, and is seeking unspecified damages. The band’s company registered “Demon Hunter” as a trademark for recorded music and merchandise in 2022 and has applied for protection covering live performances. Netflix has registered “Kpop Demon Hunters” for various merchandise uses, with further applications pending.
Netflix calls the claims baseless and vows to fight to defend its award-winning cultural hit, but who walks away with the name and the legacy remains to be seen.
